Mural Paintings, Church of the Summer Residence of the Maronite As a result of this incident, the Maronites achieved formal autonomy within the Ottoman Empire under a nonnative Christian ruler. "Our population never closed its borders. April 19, 2021, 12:04 PM In an address from the balcony of his limestone residence in the town of Bkerke, Lebanon, at the end of February, Lebanon's senior Catholic prelate, Cardinal Bechara. [21] They were able to maintain an independent status in Mount Lebanon and its coastline after the Muslim conquest of the Levant, keeping their Christian religion, and even the distinctive Western Aramaic language as late as the 19th century. The church retains the ancient West Syrian liturgy, often delivered in Syriac even though the vernacular tongue of the modern Maronites is Arabic. Maronite church | Meaning, History, Liturgy, & Facts | Britannica Stop using Lebanon and the Middle East for outside interests and profits. Etymology Maronites derive their name from Maron, a 4th-century Syriac Christian saint venerated by multiple Christian traditions. [55], There is also a small Maronite Christian community in Syria. Due to this heritage, the Maronite patriarch is generally regarded as a national patriot by Lebanese from all confessions. The church is in canonical communion with the Roman Catholic Church and is the only Eastern rite church that has no counterpart outside that union.The Maronites trace their origins to St. Maron, or Maro (Arabic: Mrn), a Syrian hermit of the late 4th and early 5th centuries, and St. John Maron, or Joannes Maro (Arabic: Yann Mrn), patriarch of Antioch in 685707, under whose leadership the invading Byzantine armies of Justinian II were routed in 684, making the Maronites a fully independent people. [26][27], The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Lebanese people is a blend of both indigenous Phoenician elements and the foreign cultures that have come to rule the land and its people over the course of thousands of years. The area's inhabitants renamed the Adonis River the Abraham River after Saint Abraham preached there. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. And this is a message to the Lebanese, that we must form a government so that everyone can gather to revive Lebanon with our friends, Lebanese politician Saad Hariri said after a private meeting with the pope in April. "The Lebanese population is not what it once was. The influential Lebanese Maronite patriarch travels to Paris on Monday to discuss the presidential election in Lebanon, where opponents of Hezbollah accuse Paris of supporting the candidate of this pro-Iranian formation. "[24], Parliament speaker Nabih Berri said that al-Rahi's "comments in Paris protect Lebanon from danger and I agree with what he stated and affirm his vision that is rooted in both a religious and national background" and that "If the situation further deteriorated in Syria and we reached a more radical rule than the current rule, like the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood, Christians there would pay the price, either in the form of killings or displacement. By Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Feb 9, 2021 / 12:00 pm Lebanon's Maronite patriarch called on Tuesday for the United Nations to help resolve the country's crisis by convening an. Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut (in Latin: Archeparchia Berytensis Maronitarum) is an archeparchial seat of the Maronite Church immediately subject to the Holy See in Lebanon. Lebanon-St. Peter Cathedral (Los Angeles), Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral, Ibadan, Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (North Jackson, Ohio), Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries, Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Notre Dame des Secours, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maronites&oldid=1164146852, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 8 July 2023, at 03:14. [14][b], He was named a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education by Pope Francis on 30 November 2013.[15]. The migrs keep their own liturgy and have their own clergy, some of whom are married. There is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly more Phoenician than another. Whatever the case, the history of the Maronites remains obscure up until the period of the Crusades, and the isolated community had not been in contact with Rome before the Crusaders arrived. Pope Francis previously said that he wanted to visit Lebanon once its leaders formed a government. On 9 June 1990, he was elected bishop of Byblos. The Role of the Maronite Patriarch in Lebanese History - ResearchGate These are the conditions for the message country, as it was called by Pope John Paul II, to continue to bear its witness. List of Maronite Patriarchs - Maronite Foundation "[84], Maronite Deacon Soubhi Makhoul, administrator for the Maronite Exarchate in Jerusalem, has said "The Maronites are Arabs, we are part of the Arab world. Maronite Patriarch calls for international conference on Lebanon's future While Yusif Hobeish was Patriarch, Lebanon was divided into two administrative districts (Qaim-maqamat); one Maronite and one Druze. [38], For the next 300 years, the Maronites raided and retreated within the region keeping their Christian faith. The Maronite Patriarch is a member by right of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the East. c. 460 - 506/510). Maronite Church - Wikipedia This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maronite-church, Official Site of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. In the 19th century, however, the Ottoman government incited a neighbouring mountain people of Lebanon, the Druzes, against the Maronites, a policy that culminated in the great Maronite massacre of 1860. Bisinus, Basinus, Besinus, or Bisin (Lombardic: Pisen) was the king of the Thuringii (fl. Its vocation is to be a land of tolerance and pluralism, an oasis of fraternity where different religions and confessions meet, where different communities live together, putting the common good before their individual interests.. Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi was born in Himlaya, Matn District, Lebanon on 25 February 1940. 3, pp. Maronite Patriarch renews call for Lebanese leadership to resolve Gulf Demonstrators gather during a protest to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Adaisseh village near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon May 15, 2021. He said that Lebanese officials have failed to hold a dialogue among themselves to resolve their differences and address the needs of the people. He said his predecessor "struggled with insistence to free both the national decision-making and the land of Lebanon from all forms of tutelage and occupation, worked for reconciliation in Mount Lebanon and realized needed church reforms. It stands out for not saying it is an Islamic stateThe closest thing to democracy [in the Arab world] is Syria."[28]. Political stalement in Lebanon | ACN International ", Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5, Upgrade your reading experience with an ad-free environment and exclusive content, Copyright 2023 Jpost Inc. All rights reserved. The Lebanese Maronite Christians are believed to constitute about 30% of the total population of Lebanon according to election results. Some Maronite Christians are named in honour of Maronite saints, including the Aramaic names Maro(u)n (after their patron saint Maron), Nimtullah, Charbel or Sharbel after Saint Charbel Makhluf and Rafqa (Rebecca). . Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi: The 77th Patriarch of the Maronite Church in Maronite Catholic patriarch welcomes Lebanon's new government Heritage", For ever! Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, pp. [44] By the 17th century, the Maronites had developed a strong natural liking for Europe particularly France. "[33], The Patriarch has commended the generosity of the Lebanese for welcoming refugees since as far back as 1948, but warned that this cannot continue without help. The Maronite patriarch arrived late Sunday in Jerusalem after accompanying Francis in the West Bank, but he departed from the parts of the Catholic leader's itinerary that involved meetings with Israeli officials. BBC staff (26 November 2014). There is Lebanese unanimity on the resistances arms in the face of Israeli occupation. Antonios Bachaalany, a Maronite from Salima (Baabda district) was the first emigrant to the New World, where he reached the United States in 1854 and died there two years later. A definitive consolidation of the union, however, did not come until the 16th century, brought about largely through the work of the Jesuit John Eliano. Cardinal al-Rahi's attire during the opening day was distinct from most of the other electors in that he wore all-red vestments with distinct headgear proper to the Maronite Church. While it was at the height of its wealth and power, the Archbishop of Cologne (who ruled over the city) demanded greater taxes. It is the capital of the Rhein-Erft-Kreis. In recent months, the state has only been able to provide electricity for less than two hours a day. Retrieved 2018-11-18. The immediate spiritual head of the Maronite church after the pope is the patriarch of Antioch and all the East, residing in Bikirk, near Beirut. [4] In 2003 he was elected Secretary of the Maronite Synod, and in 2009 he was appointed President of the Lebanese Episcopal Commission for the Media. Cardinal . Omissions? ", Referring to the Palestinian demand for a "right of return" to the area once under the British Mandate of Palestine, Al-Rahi stated that "everyone" has disavowed the "right of return," adding "Israel not only rejects the return of the refugees but daily displaces the Palestinians residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "[19] Patriarch al-Rahi does not use the term "Arab Spring", but "Arab Winter" to express his unenthusiastic reaction. Maronite Catholic leader calls on international community to 'help save Speaking at a Vatican day of prayer for Lebanon this year, Pope Francis said: In these woeful times, we want to affirm with all our strength that Lebanon is, and must remain, a project of peace. The stinky winds of Arabism blow through it, but the wind will wither away and Lebanon will remain Lebanese. With the breakdown of national identity, each religious institution became. [62], According to the Annuario Pontificio, 66,495 belonged to the Apostolic Exarchate of West and Central Africa (Nigeria) in 2017.[56]. The spread of Christianity in Lebanon was very slow where paganism persisted, especially in the mountaintop strongholds of Mount Lebanon. In 1920, following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the Maronites of Lebanon became self-ruling under French protection. .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}335805N 353801E / 33.9681N 35.6336E / 33.9681; 35.6336, "Patriarch of Lebanon" redirects here. The Great Famine of Mount Lebanon, which occurred between 1915 and 1918, was caused by multiple factors; one was the Ottoman policy of acquiring all food products in the region to be used for the Ottoman army and administration, and barring food from being sent to the Maronite Christian population of Mount Lebanon, effectively condemning them to starvation. In 1584 Pope Gregory XIII founded the Maronite College in Rome, which flourished under Jesuit administration into the 20th century and became a training centre for scholars and leaders. "Six unexpected WW1 battlegrounds". In 938 A.D. following the destruction of St Maron's Monastery near the Orontes river by the Arab Sultan and the renewed aggression of the Arab forces against the Maronites, the Maronite Patriarch went and lived in Lebanon and managed the affairs of the Maronites in Lebanon. Phoenicia: The Maronites and Lebanon, A Brief History The appointing of a Patriarch made the Byzantine Emperor furious, which led to the persecution of the Maronites by the Byzantines. Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai has called for returning Syrian refugees to their country, saying they 'cannot stay at the expense of Lebanon'. Lebanon: Its Stand in History Among the Near East Countries, "Coalition of American Assyrians and Maronites Rebukes Arab American Institute", "Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church", "Notes on the Question of Lebanese Nationalism", "Lebanon: The family business 31 May 09 Part 4", "The Joint Statement Issued from the First Meeting of the Patriarchs of the Syriac Churches", "The vote of confidence debate final session | Ya Libnan | World News Live from Lebanon", "Maronite Christians Seek To Revive Aramaic Language", https://www.m-central.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Fact-Sheet-Maronite-Aramaic-Xians-2015.pdf, "Lebanon's dispossessed come home: Robert Fisk in Damour on the scars", "Lebanon's Legacy of Political Violence: A Mapping of Serious Violations of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Lebanon, 1975-2008", "Cyprus Maronites battle to preserve rare ancestral language", Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Palestine, Our Lady of Mt. Maronite Patriarch - MARONITE HERITAGE North Rhine-Westphalia - Wikipedia [43], During the papacy of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585), steps were taken to bring the Maronites still closer to Rome. In his book the Israeli writer Mordechai Nisan, who at times met with some of them during the war, quoted Said Akl, a famous Lebanese poet and philosopher, as saying; "I would cut off my right hand, and not associate myself to an Arab. The seat of the patriarchate is Bkerk in Keserwan District in Lebanon. From Patriarchate of Antioch of the Maronites also depend directly:[1]. But we dont need to be told that we are hospitable. [26] [27] History Maronite villagers building a church in the region of Mount Lebanon, 1920s. Home - MARONITE HERITAGE. The followers of the Maronite Church form a part of the Syriac Christians and belong to the West Syriac Rite. [56] In 2015, the BBC placed the number of Maronites in Syria at between 28,000 and 60,000. 8 May 2022: 4th Week Resurrection. [63] The Christians who have applied so far for recognition as Aramean are mostly Galilean Maronites, who trace their culture, ancestry and language to an Aramaic-speaking, pre-Arab population of the Levant. Our witness to our Christian faith in general, and to our Syriac identity in particular, is a constant source of concern for us. [81], Etienne Sakr, of the Guardians of the Cedars Lebanese party, in an interview responded "We are not Arabs" to an interview question about the Guardians of the Cedars' ideology of Lebanon being Lebanese. Maronite Bishops Lament Lebanon's Slide from "Bad to Worse" The Council of Maronite Bishops has unleashed its annual appeal, warning that deepening political, social and economic crises combined with 27 years of . [83], During a final session of the Lebanese Parliament, a Marada Maronite MP stated his identity as an Arab: "I, the Maronite Christian Lebanese Arab, grandson of Patriarch Estefan Doueihy, declare my pride to be a part of our peoples resistance in the South. Hardy martial mountaineers, the Maronites valiantly preserved their liberty and folkways. Lebanon: Maronite Patriarchate, Jesuit University promote - Abouna Despite this the majority of the accounts of those interacting with them at the time indicate that they were monothelites; notable figures from the era such as the medieval historian Jacques de Vitry and the chronicler of the Pope, William of Tyre affirming this, the latter of which (William Tyre) recorded both their kindness upon receiving him and the monothelitic views of which they recanted, stating; "The heresy of Maro and his followers is and was that in our Lord Jesus Christ, there exists and did exist from the beginning one will and one energy only, as may be learned from the sixth council, which as is well known, was assembled against them and in which they suffered sentence of condemnation.