Clement Bahouth
Clement Bahouth | |
|---|---|
| Patriarch of Antioch | |
| Church | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| See | Antioch |
| Installed | 1 April 1856 |
| Term ended | 24 September 1864 |
| Predecessor | Maximos III Mazloum |
| Successor | Gregory II Youssef |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 10 August 1836 (Bishop) byMaximos III Mazloum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Bahouth 1799 |
| Died | 13 June 1882 (aged 82–83) |
Clement Michael Bahouth(orClement Bahous,1799 – 13 June 1882) waspatriarchof theMelkite Catholic Churchfrom 1856 until his resignation in 1864.[1]
Life
[edit]Michael Bahouth was born in 1799 nearAcre.In 1816 he entered in the Holy Saviour monastery of theBasilian Salvatorian Orderand professedmonasticvows in 1818. He was ordainedpriestin about 1824. Before 1826 he visitedRome.From 1826 to 1835 he was MelkitechaplaininLivorno,Italy.[2]On 10 August 1836[3]he was consecrated bishop ofAcreby patriarchMaximos III Mazloum,[4]taking the name ofClement.
At the death of patriarch Maximos III Mazloum, the synod of the Melkite Catholic bishops elected Clement Bahouth as patriarch on 1 April 1856. His election was supported by both the bishops partisans of Mazloum's line and by Archbishop Paolo Brunoni, aCypriotwho was theApostolic LegateofSyria.The same electoral synod, having in mind the last authoritative years of Maximos Mazloum, issued decrees to limit the patriarchal authority.[5]Clement Bahouth's election was confirmed byPope Pius IXon 16 June 1856.
Clement Bahouth was docile to the demand of ArchbishopPaolo Brunoni[5]toLatinizethe Eastern Catholic Churches. Without consulting other Melkite bishops, in January 1857 he introduced theGregorian Calendarin place of theJulian Calendarto promote conformity with the uses of theLatin Riteas well as of theMaronitesand of theSyriac Catholic Church;that act caused some discontent within the Melkite Church, and the opposition was led by the Archbishop ofBeirut,Agapis Riyasi, the same who led the opposition against Maximos Mazloum some years before. Clement Bahouth, seen the discontent, resigned in August 1858, but the majority of the Melkite clergy and laity askedRometo reject Clement's resignation, as it happened in September 1858.[2]The 1859–1860 war between Maronites andDruzes,and the massacre of Christians inDamascusbecame more important issues than the calendar's one for most of the Melkites.[5]A new player appeared: theRussian Orthodox Church,hoping to expand its influence in the Middle East, persuaded three of the bishops opponent to Clement Bahouth to formalize a schism, known as schism of thesarqiin,creating a new Church separated from both theMelkite Catholic Churchand from theAntiochian Orthodox Church.This schism, notwithstanding the funds given by Russia to build churches, ended after a few years, and never numbered more than five thousand adherents.[2]
In 1864 Clement Bahouth asked Rome again to resign and to elect as successorGregory Youssef,who was appointed bishop of Acre a few years before by Clement himself. This time Rome authorized the resignation, and a synod of bishops was summoned 24 September 1864. At the opening of synod Clement announced his resignation, and the synod in a few days electedGregory II Youssefaccording to Clement's wishes. After this synod Clement Bahouth returned to live as a simplenovicemonk.[2]In 1870 he participated silently at theFirst Vatican Council.He died on 13 June 1882 in the Holy Saviour monastery, where he was buried.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Chammas, Giuseppe (1960). Francou, Carlo (ed.).Compendio di Storia della Chiesa Orientale e soprattutto Melkita[A Historical Compendium of the Eastern Church and Especially of the Melkites](PDF)(in Italian). Translated by Brustio, Olga.Piacenza:Libreria Internazionale Romagnosi (published 2013). p. 132.
- ^abcdKorolevskij, DHGE, 6 (1932)
- ^on 29 July according to theJulian calendar
- ^"Consécrations Episcopales sous le pontificat du patriarcheClement Ier Bahous".Le Lien(3): 57. 1979.
- ^abcFrazee (2006), p. 290
References
[edit]- Descy, Serge (1993).The Melkite Church.Boston: Sophia Press.
- Dick, Iganatios (2004).Melkites: Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholics of the Patriarchates of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem.Boston: Sophia Press.
- Frazee, Charles A. (2006) [1983].Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453-1923.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN9780521027007.
- Korolevskij, Cyrille (1932). "Bahouth".Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques.Vol. 6. Paris: Letouzey et Ané. pp. 229–236.