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The Eparchy of Latakia or Latakia of the Maronites (in Latin: Eparchia Laodicenus Maronitarum) is a Maronite Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Syria. As of 2011, there were 35,000 members. The current eparch is Antoine Chbeir.

Territory and statistics

It is immediately subject to the Maronite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, not part of any ecclesiastical province.

The territory includes the city of Latakia, where is located the Our Lady of Latakia Cathedral, in Latakia, the former Laodicea ad Mare.

The territory is divided into 32 parishes and in 2011 there were 35,000 Maronite Catholics.

History

Until the eighteenth century the Maronite patriarchate was formally divided into eparchies: in fact the bishops were all considered as auxiliary of the Patriarch, the only true leader of the Maronite nation. The bishops of Laodicea, like other Maronite bishops, in fact, had only the title of their home, and pursues not any real jurisdiction and do not even have a place to reside.

The Synod of Mount Lebanon in 1736, which at the request of Propaganda Fide decided the canonical erection of the Maronite diocese, gave no consideration to Laodicea, which therefore continued to be the seat of a titular bishop. The territories that were formally part of Laodicea were subdued by the synod of authority of the Tripoli Eparchs.

On April 16, 1954, with the decree Quo aptiori, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches decided to steal the territories of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tripoli of the Maronites who were in the Syrian's area under the authority of the archeparch of Aleppo and to entrust them to the administrator apostolic of Latakia (a missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction, directly subject to the Holy See).

On August 4, 1977 the Apostolic Administration was raised to the status of Eparchy (Diocese), and the same time was suppressed the Titular see.

Titular Bishops

• Jean Estephan (November 1732 - 1743 named eparch of Beirut)
• Nicolas Murad (5 December 1843 - 10 January 1863 deceased)
• Joseph Foraifer (11 February 1872 - ?)
• Paul Akl (22 February 1919 - 19 September 1959 deceased)

Episcopal ordinaries

Apostolic Administrators of Latakia

• Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis François Ayoub (16 April 1954 – 2 June 1966), while Archeparch (Archbishop) of Aleppo of the Maronites (Syria) (16 April 1954 – 2 June 1966)
• Apostolic Administrator Joseph Salamé (24 September 1967 – 4 August 1977 resigned), also while Archeparch of Aleppo of the Maronites (Syria) (15 March 1967 – 9 June 1990)

Non-suffragan Eparchs (Bishops) of Latakia

• Georges Abi-Saber, Baladites (O.L.M.) (4 August 1977 – 2 May 1986), later Titular Bishop of Aradus (2 May 1986 – 23 November 1990) while Patriarchal Vicar of Antioch of the Maronites (Lebanon) (2 May 1986 – 23 November 1990) and finally Eparch (Bishop) of (Saint Maron of) Montreal of the Maronites (Canada) (23 November 1990 – 7 February 1996)
• Antoine Torbey (2 May 1986 – 23 June 2001 retired)
• Elias Khoury Sleman (16 January 2012 – 14 March 2015 resigned), later President of Patriarchal Appeals Tribunal of the Maronites (since 14 March 2015)
• Antoine Chbeir (since 14 March 2015)

See also

• Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo
• Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus

Sources

• Pontificio Annuario, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano, 2003, ISBN 88-209-7422-3.

References

1. Gcatholic
2. in AAS 47 (1955), p. 611, Vatican.va
4. p. 199. Anche Dictionnaire d'histoire et ... VIII, col. 1320.
6. News.va

External links

• GigaCatholic with incumbent biography links
• Catholic Hierarchy
• Catholic Hierarchy
• GCatholic

v t e Maronite Church
West Syriac Rite
Patriarch	List of Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch Bkerké Dimane Bechara Boutros al-Rahi
Eparchies	Archeparchy of Beirut Archeparchy of Antelias Archeparchy of Tripoli Archeparchy of Tyre Eparchy of Baalbek-Deir El Ahmar Eparchy of Batroun Eparchy of Byblos Eparchy of Sidon Eparchy of Zahleh Archeparchy of Damascus Archeparchy of Aleppo Eparchy of Latakia Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Palestine Patriarchal Exarchate of Jordan Eparchy of Cairo Archeparchy of Cyprus Eparchy of the Annunciation, Ibadan Apostolic Exarchate of Colombia Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Paris Eparchy of Saint Maron of Montreal Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn Eparchy of Our Lady of the Martyrs of Lebanon in Mexico Eparchy of Saint Maron of Sydney Eparchy of Saint Charbel in Buenos Aires Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of São Paulo
Churches	Cathedrals: St George Cathedral, Beirut Cathedral of Saint Elijah, Aleppo St. Louis the King Cathedral, Haifa Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral (Brooklyn) Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter Cathedral (Los Angeles) St. Raymond Cathedral (St. Louis) Our Lady of Lebanon Procathedral, Bogotá St. Maron's Cathedral, Buenos Aires Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral, Ibadan Valvanera Cathedral, Mexico City Our Lady of Grace Cathedral (Nicosia) Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral (Paris) Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, São Paulo St. Maron's Cathedral, Sydney Churches: Church of Saidet et Tallé Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth St. Ann's Church, Albany St. Sharbel Church, Portland Shrines: Our Lady of Lebanon Our Lady of Bekaa Our Lady of Bechouat Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (North Jackson, Ohio) Monasteries: Monastery of Saint Maron Monastery of Qozhaya Mar Sarkis, Ehden Monastery of the Holy Saviour, Kreim Maronite Convent, Jerusalem
Religious institutes	Lebanese Maronite Order Antonin Maronite Order Mariamite Maronite Order Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries
Saints	Maron John Maron Abraham of Cyrrhus Domnina of Syria Chayna Nimatullah Kassab Charbel Makhlouf Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès Bl. Istifan al-Duwayhi Bl. Elias Peter Hoayek
Traditions	Three Sundays of Commemoration
See also	Lebanese Maronite Christians Cross of All Nations Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Notre Dame des Secours
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35°30′56″N 35°46′35″E / 35.5155°N 35.7765°E / 35.5155; 35.7765

• Eastern Catholicism in Syria
• Maronite Catholic eparchies
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