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Youssef Absi | |
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| Patriarch of Antioch and of All the East | |
Absi in June 2018
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| Native name |
يوسف عبسي
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| Church | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Antioch |
| See | Antioch |
| Elected | June 21, 2017 |
| Predecessor | Gregory III Laham |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 6, 1973 by Maximos V Hakim |
| Consecration | September 2, 2001 by Gregory III Laham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Youssef Absi (1946-06-20) June 20, 1946 (age 77) |
| Denomination | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Alma mater | St. Paul Seminary, Harissa; Lebanese University; Holy Spirit University of Kaslik |
| Coat of arms |  |
Youssef Absi SMSP[1] (Arabic: يوسف عبسي; Latin: Iosephus Absi; born June 20, 1946, in Damascus, Syria) is the current patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, serving since June 21, 2017.[2][3]
On May 6, 1973, Youssef Absi was ordained a priest and became chaplain of the Missionary Society of St. Paul (Italian: Società dei Missionari di San Paolo; abbreviated as S.M.S.P.), a Melkite Greek Society of Apostolic Life that is also known as the Pères Paulistes.[1] After the conclusion of philosophical and theological studies at the Major Seminary of St. Paul in Harissa, Lebanon, he obtained a licentiate in philosophy at the Lebanese University, a licentiate in theology at the Institute of St. Paul in Harissa, and a doctorate in musical science and hymnography at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.[4]
On June 22, 2001, he was appointed titular archbishop of Tarsus dei Greco-Melkiti and curial bishop and auxiliary bishop in the Melkite Patriarchate. Patriarch Gregory III Laham was his consecrator, and the co-consecrators were Archbishop Jean Mansour, titular archbishop of Apamea in Syria dei Greco-Melkiti, and Archbishop Joseph Kallas, Archeparch of Beirut and Byblos, on September 2, 2001.[5]
From 1999 to 2006, he was Superior General of his religious community, the Missionary Society of St. Paul. He assisted as co-consecrator at the episcopal ordination of Yasser Ayyash, Archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia in Jordan. In October 2007, he was appointed patriarchal vicar for the archdiocese of Damascus.
He was elected on June 21, 2017, as the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. His election came a month after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Gregory III Laham.[2]
In 2001, he became president of the Caritas Syria (Commission Commune de Bienfaisance (CCB))[6] and forwards with three full-time members more than 40 projects in Damascus, Aleppo and Hassake. He composed for the singer Marie Keyrouz "L'Ensemble de la Paix", a hymn that was released on the album Cantiques de l'Orient.[7]
As a participant in the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East in October 2010, he gave an address in which he insisted that: "The Episcopal Conferences of each country should meet from time to time together. You should allow bi-ritualism, so that no parish remains without divine liturgy, no matter what church it belongs to."[8]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Titular Archbishop of Tarsus 2001–2017 |
Succeeded by Vacant |
| Preceded by | Melkite Greek Patriarch of Antioch 2017–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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