Cyril VIII Geha

Cyril VIII Geha
Cyril VIII Geha
Patriarch of Antioch
Church	Melkite Greek Catholic Church
See	Patriarch of Antioch
Installed	June 29, 1902
Term ended	January 11, 1916
Predecessor	Peter IV Geraigiry
Successor	Demetrius I Qadi
Orders
Consecration	May 3, 1885 (Bishop); by Gregory II Youssef
Personal details
Born	November 26, 1840; Aleppo, Syria
Died	January 11, 1916 (aged 75) Cairo, Egypt

Cyril VIII Geha (or Jeha), (November 26, 1840 – January 11, 1916) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1902 until 1916. He was the last Melkite Catholic patriarch of the Ottoman era.

Life

Geha was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1840, he was consecrated the Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo on May 3, 1885^[1] by patriarch Gregory II Youssef. On June 29, 1902 he became patriarch of the Melkites.

In 1909 Cyril convoked a synod at Ain Traz to develop the disciplinary legislation of the Melkite Church.^[2] However, the work of the synod failed to gain confirmation from Pope Pius X, who lacked the desire of his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, to promote the traditional rights and privileges of the Eastern Churches.^[3]

Upon Cyril's death in 1916 the patriarchal see was vacant until the election of Demetrius I Qadi in 1919.^[4]

Distinctions

Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)

Notes

^ "Patriarch Cyrille VIII Geha". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
^ Descy (1993), p. 66
^ Descy (1993), pp. 64–67
^ Dick (2004), p. 39

References

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.