VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father gave his assent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church meeting in Ain Traz, Lebanon, from June 18 to 23, of Fr. Yasser Ayyach, pastor of the Melkite parish of Amman-Alwabdi in Jordan, as archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia of the Greek-Melkites (Catholics 31,300, priests 28, religious 21), Jordan.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is one of several sui iuris churches that collectively make up the Catholic Church. The largest sui iuris church is the Church of Rome, whose Archbishop is fairly well known. Thus, the Holy Father does not 'consent' to the election of a Bishop for the Melkites, he 'assents' to it. This assent is a sort of formal courtesy that respects the rights of both the Melkites and the Church of Rome. When a Patriarch is elected, he and the Pope exchange letters that confirm their unity in the Faith and mutual recognition.
The Patriarch of the Melkites is His Beatitude Gregorios III (Laham), the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria, of Jerusalem.
See my earlier post on the Melkites here.
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