Euthymios Saifi

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Euthymios Michael Saifi also known as Eftimios Sayfi or Aftimios Sayfi (* 1643 in Damascus ; † October 8, 1723 ibid) was Bishop of Tire and Sidon in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and is venerated as their father. He was a co-founder of the reunification between the Western Church of Rome and the Eastern Churches . From him the religious community of the Basilians of the Holy Redeemer was brought into being.

Life

His date of birth has been set to around 1643. He grew up around the Patriarch of Antioch , who had his seat in Damascus. In 1666 he was ordained a deacon and appointed teacher at the patriarch's school. 1682 he was by the Patriarch Kyrillos III. (1694–1720) consecrated Bishop of Tire and Sidon. In this function he tried to get closer to the Roman Catholic Church . In December 1683 he publicly declared his conversion to the Roman Catholic Church and thereby promoted the unification efforts of the Popes. He became the first bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, which led to him being referred to as the "father" of this church. In 1697, Bishop Euthymios founded the order of the Basilians of the Most Holy Redeemer and had the Melkite Monastery of the Most Holy Redeemer (Deir-el-Moukhales) built near Sidon. He supported the pastoral and missionary tasks of the monks and provided their qualified training.

In 1694 four Melkite bishops applied to Pope Innocent XII. for Euthymios the patriarchate for the Melkite church and asked to give him the pallium . This request was refused, but on December 6, 1701 it was accepted by Clement XI. Appointed Apostolic Administrator of all Catholics of the Melkite Church. In this role he pushed for the mixing of the Latin with the Byzantine rite , which was later forbidden by Pope Benedict XIV with the encyclical " Demandatam ". Within the Eastern Churches he operated the so-called Latinization, which had been forbidden by the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide and the Popes, as it led to a renewed schism within the Melkite Church. These unrest ultimately led to the disempowerment, Saifi was deposed in 1722, the episcopal see of Tire and Sidon was handed over to the Greek Catholic bishops. While he was still in exile in Adan , he was supported by his followers, he returned to Damascus once more, where he died on October 8, 1723 at the age of eighty.

A year later his nephew Seraphin Tanas was named Kyrillos VI. Tanas elected Patriarch of Antioch.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Founder of the Basilian (BS)
  2. ↑ Visit to the Greek Catholic (Melkite) monastery Deir al Moukhales ("Redeemer Monastery") of the Basilian Order of St. Sauveur [1]
  3. ↑ Patriarch Cyril VI. Tanas was a nephew of Euthymios Saifi [2]
personal data
SURNAME Saifi, Euthymios
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sayfi, Eftimios; Sayfi, Aftimios
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek Catholic Bishop of Tire and Sidon
DATE OF BIRTH 1643
PLACE OF BIRTH Damascus
DATE OF DEATH October 8, 1723
Place of death Damascus