Mor Ignatius Behnam II Benni (1831–1897) 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

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 ...

from 1893 to 1897.

Life

Behnam Benni was born on 14 August 1831 (

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

) near

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

. In 1847 he was admitted in the College of the Propaganda 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, ...

where he remained till 1856 when he received the

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. He was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

on 8 March 1856 and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 16 March 1856. Behnam Benni served as priest for some years until his appointment as bishop of

by Patriarch Ignatius Antony I Samheri who consecrated him bishop on 9 March 1862. His first years at Mosul were saddened by the fight with

Syriac Orthodox The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The church upholds the Mia ...

for the ownership of the churches in the town. In 1870 Benni was in Rome to participate to the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...

where he, in opposition to the

Melkite The term Melkite (), also written Melchite, refers to various Eastern Christian churches of the Byzantine Rite and their members originating in West Asia. The term comes from the common Central Semitic root ''m-l-k'', meaning "royal", referrin ...

patriarch

Gregory II Youssef Patriarch Gregory II Youssef, also known as Gregory II Hanna Youssef-Sayour (October 17, 1823 – July 13, 1897), was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1864 to 1897. Gregory expanded and modernized the church and its institu ...

, spoke to make uniform the ecclesiastical discipline in the East and in the West and in favor of the

papal infallibility Papal infallibility is a Dogma in the Catholic Church, dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Saint Peter, Peter, the Pope when he speaks is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "in ...

. He was one of the main redactors of the text approved by the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

of Charfet in 1888 that made mandatory the clergy's

celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied ...

in the Syriac Catholic Church. After the death of patriarch

Ignatius George V Shelhot Mar Ignatius George V Shelhot (or ''Giwargis Chelhot'', or ''Georgius Schelhot'', or ''Jirjis'' ''Chalhat'' 1818–1891) was Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church from 1874 to 1891. Life George Chelhot was born in Aleppo on 15 October 1818 ...

on 8 December 1891, Behnam Benni, who was the older prelate by consecration, was appointed

Locum tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

of the Patriarchate. On 12 October 1893 he was unanimously elected Patriarch, confirmed the same day by

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 Ap ...

by means of a

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

message and enthroned Sunday 15 October 1893. He was formally confirmed by the pope in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

of 18 May 1894. In 1894 Behnam Benni and the Mekite Patriarch Gregory Youssef went to Rome on invitation of Pope Leo XIII for a conference on the

Eastern Catholic Church The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

es that led to the approbation of the papal

encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

Orientalium dignitas ''Orientalium dignitas'' is a papal encyclical concerning the Eastern Catholic churches issued by Pope Leo XIII on 30 November 1894. The encyclical further established the rights of the Eastern Catholic churches. This includes a prohibition aga ...

'' on 30 November 1894, thus confirming the role and autonomy of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Behnam Benni died in Mosul on 13 September 1897.

Works

Behnam Benni, with Joseph David, was the author of the book ''The Tradition of the Syriac Church of Antioch: Concerning the Primacy and the Prerogatives of St. Peter and of His Successors the Roman Pontiffs'' translated in English by Joseph Gagliardi and published in London in 1871 free text of ''The Tradition of the Syriac Church of Antioch: Concerning the Primacy...''
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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benni, Ignatius Behnam Syriac Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch 1897 deaths 1831 births 19th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops Assyrians from the Ottoman Empire Bishops in the Ottoman Empire Religious leaders from Mosul 19th-century clergy from Ottoman Iraq