The Syriac Catholic Archeparchy of Baghdad is a
Syriac Catholic Church
The Syriac Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' (self-governing) particular church that is in full communion with the Holy See and with the entirety of the Catholic Church. Originating in the Levant, it uses the West Syriac ...
ecclesiastical territory or
archeparchy
Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administrative structure ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. It is not a
metropolitan see
Metropolitan may refer to:
Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical)
* Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop
** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"
* Metropolitan ...
and is
directly exempt to the
Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch
The Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch is the head of the Syriac Catholic Church. According to tradition, the patriarchate of Antioch was established by Saint Peter in the 1st century AD, but split into two separate lines of patriarchs after ...
, though not part of his or any other
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...
, and in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
depends on the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named the Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches (), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible f ...
.
The
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
is the
Sayidat al-Nejat Cathedral, in the
episcopal see
An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...
and national capital of
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
.
History
The Archeparchy of Baghdad was established on 28 September 1862 on Iraqi territory that had previously been without an episcopal
ordinary
Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to:
Music
* ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast
* ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing
* "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025)
* "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...
or ecclesiastical territory of the Syriac Catholic Church.
Episcopal ordinaries
;''Archeparchs (Archbishops) of Baghdad''
* Atanasio Raffaele Ciarchi (1872 – ?)
* Athanase Ignace Nuri (1894.03.11 – retired 1908),
Titular Archbishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Hierapolis in Syria
Hierapolis (; , lit. "Holy City") was a Hellenistic Greek city built on the site of a Phrygian cult center of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, in Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It was famous for its hot springs, its high quality ...
of the Syriacs (1908 – death 1946.11.09)
* Atanasio Giorgio (Cyrille) Dallal (1912.09.04 – 1926.07.31), later Archeparch (Archbishop) of
Mossul of the Syriacs (Iraq) (1926.07.31 – death 1951.12.14)
* Atanasio Behnam Kalian (1929.08.06 – death 1949.02.17),
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Bahtnæ of the Syriacs (1921.02.26 – 1929.08.06),
Auxiliary Eparch
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
(Auxiliary Bishop) of the patriarchate
Antioch of the Syriacs
The Syriac Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' (self-governing) particular church that is in full communion with the Holy See and with the entirety of the Catholic Church. Originating in the Levant, it uses the West Syriac R ...
(Lebanon) (1921.02.26 – 1929.08.06), Auxiliary Eparch of
Mardin and Amida of the Syriacs (Turkey) (1921.02.26 – 1929.08.06)
* Atanasio Paolo Hindo (1949.08.05 – death 1953.08.14), previously Titular Bishop of
Arethusa of the Syriacs (1949.01.18 – 1949.08.05)
* Athanase Jean Daniel Bakose (1953.12.02 – death 1983.01.12)
* Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka (1983.07.15 – 2011.03.01), succeeded as former Titular Bishop of
Dara Syrorum of the Syriacs (1979.08.25 – 1983.07.15) & Auxiliary Eparch of
Baghdad of the Syriacs (1979.08.25 – 1983.07.15); later Patriarchal Exarch of
Basra and the Gulf of the Syriacs (Iraq) (1997 – 2001)
*
Yousif Abba (2011.03.01 – present)
See also
*
Syriac Catholic Archeparchy of Mossul (non-metropolitan archdiocese in northern Iraq)
*
Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Basra and the Gulf (in southern Iraq and Kuwait)
Source and External links
GCatholic with incumbent bio links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baghdad, Syriac Catholic Archeparchy
Syriac Catholic dioceses
Eastern Catholicism in Iraq