Population
- Catholics (as of 2004)
4,600 Rite Byzantine Rite Country Mexico | Parishes 1 Established 1988 | |
 | ||
Ecclesiastical province Immediately Subject to the Holy See Denomination Melkite Greek Catholic Church | ||
Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso in Mexico City (Latin: Eparchia Dominae Nostrae Paradisi in Civitate Mexicana Graecorum Melkitarum) is an eparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, based in Mexico City.
Contents
Territory and statistics
The eparchial jurisdiction extends to the faithful of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church throughout Mexico.
Eparchial headquarters is Mexico City, where he is the only parish of the eparchy, called de Porta Coeli.
The eparchy at the end of 2004 had 4,600 baptized.
History
The emigration of Melkite Christians from the Middle East to Mexico began about between 1875 and 1895. It was followed by increased emigration after the two world wars. The vast majority came from southern Lebanon and some also from Syria. The first worship in the Byzantine rite was celebrated in 1927. The first pastoral care was taken by the Salvatorians. As the first Chaplain of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, a Melkite religious community, who remained at the request of his relatives in Mexico, was Father Sleiman Khoury, SMSP, which was ordained Archimandrite later. He was the first pastor of a parish for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Mexico. The Lebanese Ambassador to Mexico Joseph Abu Khater requested at the Mexican government planning permission for a church in Mexico City, today there is a cathedral and the seat of the Exarchate of Mexico.
The Eparchy of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso de México was finally erected on February 27, 1988, by Pope John Paul II by the Apostolic constitution Apostolorum Principis.
Following the sudden death of the Eparch Boutros Raï in 1994, have been nominated for this seat two apostolic administrators: the archimandrites Antoine Mouhanna and, since 2006, Gabriel Ghanoum.
In November 2008, was held in Mexico the VI Congress of the Melkite Greek Catholic bishops of the emigration.