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Head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1760 to 1761
"Maximos Hakim" redirects here. For the Melkite Patriarch from 1967 to 2000, see
Maximos V Hakim
.
Maximos II Hakim
, was
Patriarch
of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
from 1760 to 1761.
Life
[
edit
]
Maximos Hakim was born in
Aleppo
circa 1689
[1]
and entered in the
religious order
of the
Basilian Chouerites
, of which he became
general superior
on 29 November 1729.
[2]
In 1732 he was elected by the clergy and laity as the
metropolitan bishop
of Aleppo for both the Melkite Catholic and
Melkite Orthodox
parties. He was consecrated bishop by the former bishop of Aleppo, Gerosimos, one of the founder of the Basilian Chouerite Order.
[3]
This situation could not last long and when in 1750 the
Patriarchate of Constantinople
appointed a new Orthodox bishop, also in Aleppo the hierarchy was definitely split, with Maximos who remained the bishop for only the Melkite Catholics. Due to this situation he had to live for long times in the safe motherhouse of his order in
Lebanon
.
[4]
In 1759 patriarch
Cyril VI Tanas
appointed as successor his nephew
Athanasius Jawhar
and died shortly later in January 1760. Although Athanasius' election was supported by the bishops of the
Basilian Salvatorian Order
(both Cyril VI and Athanasius were Salvatorians), the Basilian Chouerite bishops contested such election pointing out that Athanasius was not in the legal age to be appointed bishop.
Rome
, unaware that appointing a nephew was a common use in the Melkite Church before the union with Rome, did not confirm Athanasius' election and on 1 August 1760
[5]
appointed Maximos Hakim as Patriarch.
The
Apostolic Legate
Dominique Lanza arrived in Lebanon to carry the news only in June 1761, and on 23 July 1761 he summoned a synod of the Melkite bishops to formalize the election of Maximos II Hakim, who was already ill. Maximos II Hakim died shortly later on 15 November 1761.
[6]
Notes
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