Cyril VIII Geha (or ''Jeha''), (November 26, 1840 – January 11, 1916) was
patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (, ''Kanīsat ar-Rūm al-Malakiyyīn al-Kāṯūlīk''; ; ), also known as the Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catho ...
from 1902 until 1916. He was the last Melkite Catholic patriarch of the
Ottoman era.
Life
Geha was born in
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
,
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
in 1840, he was consecrated the Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo on May 3, 1885 by patriarch
Gregory II Youssef. On June 29, 1902 he became patriarch of the Melkites.
In 1909 Cyril convoked a synod at
Ain Traz
The Ain Traz Seminary of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, located southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, has served various roles during its 200-year history.
History
The village of Ain Traz was home to the Maronite Saad clan, members of whom where Frenc ...
to develop the disciplinary legislation of the Melkite Church. However, the work of the synod failed to gain confirmation from Pope
Pius X
Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...
, who lacked the desire of his predecessor, Pope
Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...
, to promote the traditional rights and privileges of the Eastern Churches.
Upon Cyril's death in 1916 the patriarchal see was vacant until the election of
Demetrius I Qadi
Demetrius I Qadi (or ''Dimitros I Cadi'') (January 18, 1861, Damascus, Syria – October 25, 1925) was Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1919 until 1925.
Life
Jose ...
in 1919.
[Dick (2004), p. 39]
Distinctions
*
Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)
The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Militaris et Hospitalis Sancti Lazari Hierosolymitani'') is a Christianity, Christian Order of chivalry, order that was statuted in 1910 by a counc ...
See also
*
List of Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem
Melkite Catholic Web Ring
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch
1840 births
1916 deaths
Recipients of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)
Grand masters of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)
{{MelkiteGreekCatholic-bishop-stub