Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Jerusalem (in Latin also Hierosolyma) was one of the Apostles' original bishoprics. It was renamed Aelia Capitolina in 135 AD, again Jerusalem in 325. In 451 it was promoted as Patriarchal See. After 649, Pope Martin appointed John of Philadelphia (Amman) as Patriarchal vicar of Jerusalem to replace Sergius of Jaffa.

In 1054, the Great Schism split Christianity into the Eastern Orthodox Church—which consisted of the four Orthodox Christian Patriarchs of Antioch, Jerusalem, Constantinople and Alexandria—under the stewardship of Constantinople; and the Catholic Church, which consisted of the Pope of Rome and virtually all of Western Christianity. Apart from the Maronites, most Christians in the Holy Land came under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Modern Patriarchate of Jerusalem

See also: Catholic Church in Israel and Catholic Church in Palestine

A resident Latin Patriarch was re-established in 1847 by Pius IX, with Bishop Joseph Valerga being appointed to the office. Though officially superseding the Franciscans, Valerga was also the Grand Master of the Order. On Valerga's death in 1872, Vincent Braco was appointed, and following his death in 1889, the Ottoman Sultan authorised the re-establishment of a Latin hierarchy. The Grand Masters of the Order continued to be named as Latin Patriarchs until 1905.

Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, the Patriarchate's co-cathedral, Jerusalem

The Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus is the principal, or "mother" church of the Latin Patriarchate, the church in which the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has his official chair (cathedra).[2] However, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre has the title of cathedral of the patriarchate. The residence of the Patriarch is in the Old City, near the Co-Cathedral, while the seminary, which is responsible for the liturgical education, is in Beit Jala, a town 10 km south of Jerusalem, where it has been since 1936.

In 1987, Michel Sabbah became the first native Palestinian to be appointed Latin Patriarch. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is now the diocesan archbishop of Latin Catholics of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jerusalem and has jurisdiction for all Latin Church Catholics in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus.

The prerogatives of the Patriarch in his relation with government authorities overlap with the prerogatives of the Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and the Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.

In 2003, the Latin Patriarch was one of the signatories of the "Statement regarding the Separation Wall by heads of Churches in Jerusalem,"[3] and in 2006, the Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism, which repudiates Christian Zionism as inconsistent with Christian teaching.[4][5] In 2008, Sabbah also signed the Kairos Palestine Document (published in 2009, after Sabbah term) against Israeli occupation.

In 2008, Archbishop Fouad Twal was appointed Patriarch to succeed Patriarch Michel Sabbah.[6] He exercised his mandate from June 21, 2008, until June 24, 2016, when he reached the canonical age of retirement and Pope Francis accepted his resignation. Pope Francis appointed Pierbattista Pizzaballa as apostolic administrator of the Patriarchate and named Patriarch on 24 October 2020.

Pope Paul VI visited in January 1964, Pope John Paul II in March 2000, Pope Benedict XVI in May 2009 and Pope Francis in May 2014.

As per 2015, it pastorally served 293,053 Catholics in 66 parishes with 464 priests (81 diocesan, 383 religious), 9 deacons, 1,652 lay religious (590 brothers, 1,062 sisters) and 55 seminarians.

The proper Archdiocese of the patriarchal see of Jerusalem has jurisdiction over all 'Latin Church' Catholics (not Eastern Catholics) in the Holy Land (Israel, Palestine and Jordan) as well as Cyprus. In Jerusalem, the Latin Catholic community is the largest Christian community, with some 4,500 people out of an estimated Christian population of about 11,000.[7]

In Jerusalem, the patriarch has his Cathedral archiepiscopal see, a Minor Basilica and World Heritage Site: the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as the Co-Cathedral, also a World Heritage Site: Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and four other Minor Basilicas and World Heritage Sites: Basilica of the Agony, Basilica of St. Stephen, Dormition Abbey of the Virgin Mary and St. Anne’s Church.

Other cities in the archdiocese have more Minor Basilicas: Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Basilica of the Transfiguration in Mount Tabor, Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris in Haifa and Church of Emmaus in Emmaus (El Qubeibeh), and two other World Heritage Sites, both in Bethlehem : Church of St. Catherine and Church of the Nativity.

Prior to the Great Schism, there were no separate Latin and Greek Orthodox Churches, and thus no separate Patriarchs. For Patriarchs of Jerusalem of the unified Church prior to the Schism, see Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

• Arnulf of Chocques (1099)
• Dagobert of Pisa (1099–1101)
  • Maurice of Porto (1101–1102), ad interim
• Evremar (1102–1105)
• Dagobert of Pisa (restored) (1105)
• Ghibbelin of Arles (1107–1112)
• Arnulf of Chocques (re-appointed) (1112–1118)
• Warmund of Jerusalem (also known as Garmond of Picquigny) (1119–1128)
• Stephen of La Ferté (1128–1130)
• William of Malines (1130–1145)
• Fulk of Angoulême (1146–1157)
• Amalric of Nesle (1157–1180)
• Heraclius (1180–1191)

Jerusalem itself was lost in 1187; seat of the Patriarch moved (with the kingdom in retreat) to Acre.

• Rodolfo (1191–1192)
• Michele de Corbeil (1193–1194)[8]
• Aymar the Monk (also known as Aimaro Monaco dei Corbizzi) (1194–1202)
• Soffredo (also known as Loffredo Errico Gaetani) (1202–1204)
• Albert of Vercelli (also known as Albert Avogadro) (1204–1214)
• Raoul of Mérencourt (1214–1225)
• Gerold of Lausanne (1225–1238)
  • vacant (1238–1240); Jacques de Vitry appointed but never served
• Robert of Nantes (1240–1254)
• Jacques Pantaléon (1255–1261), future Pope Urban IV of Rome
• William II of Agen (1261–1270)
• Thomas Agni of Cosenza (1271–1277)
• John of Vercelli (1278–1279)
• Elijah (1279–1287)
• Nicholas of Hanapes (fr) (1288–1294)

Acre lost in 1291; see in exile moved to Cyprus, then Rome after 1374; titular patriarchs until 1847.

• Landolfo (1295–1304)[8]
• Antony Bek (1306–1311), also Prince-Bishop of Durham in England from 1284 to 1310
• Pierre Pleinecassagne (1314–1318)[8]
• Pierre (1314–1318)[8]

The Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Land held the title from 1342 to 1830 under the Papal bull Gratiam agimus by Pope Clement VI. The bull declared the Franciscans as the official custodians of the Holy Places in the name of the Catholic Church, "unless someone was specifically appointed in the honorary office".[9]

• Raymond Bequin (Raimondo Beguin), O.P. (1324–1329 Died[8][10]
• Peter Paludanus (Pierre de Palude or Pietro de la Palude), O.P. (1329–1342 Died)[11]
• Élie de Nabinal, O.F.M. (1342)[8]
• Pierre de Casa, O. Carm. (1342–1348)[8]
• Emanuele de Nabinal, O.F.M. (1345)[8]
• Guillaume Amici (Lamy) (1349–1360)[8]
• Philippe de Cabassole (1361–1368)[8]
• Guglielmo Militis, O.P. (1369–1371)[8]
• Guilherme Audibert de la Garde (1371–1374)[8]
• Philippe d'Alençon de Valois (1375–1378)[8]
• Guglielmo da Urbino, O.F.M. (1379–?)[8]

During the Western Schism, the Patriarch was appointed by both Popes resulting in overlapping appointments.

• Named by the Pope of Rome:
  • Stephanus de Insula (Štefan), O.E.S.A. (1379–1384)[8]
  • Fernandus (1386–1395)[8]
  • Ugo Roberti (1396–1409 Died)
• Named by the Pope of Avignon:
  • Lope Fernández de Luna (1380–1382)[8]
  • Bertrande de Chanac (1382–1385)[8]
  • Aimone Séchal (1385–1404)[8]
  • Francesc Eiximenis (Francesco Eximini), O.F.M. (1408–1409)[8]
• Francisco Clemente Pérez Capera (1419–1429)[8]
• Leonardo Delfino (patriarch), O.F.M. (1430–1434)[8]
• Biagio Molino (1434–1447 Died)[8][12]
  • Cristoforo Garatoni (Apostolic Administrator 1448–1449)[8]
  • Bessarion (Apostolic Administrator 1449–1458)[8]
• Lorenzo Zanni (Lorenzo Zane) (1458–1460)[8][13]
• Louis de Haricuria (1460–1479)[8]
• Bartolomeo della Rovere, O.F.M. (1480–1494)[8]
• Giovanni Antonio Sangiorgio (1500–1503)
• Bernardino López de Carvajal y Sande (1503–1511 Resigned)

...

• Rodrigo de Carvajal (1523–1539)
• Alessandro Farnese (1539–1550)
• Cristoforo Spiriti (1550–1556 Died)[14]
• Antonio Elio (Antonius Helius) (1558–1576)
• Gian Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce (1576–1584), future Pope Innocent IX of Rome
• Scipione Gonzaga (1585–1588)
• Fabio Blondus de Montealto (Fabio Biondi) (1588–1618)[15][16]
• Francesco Cennini de' Salamandri (1618–1621)[15]
• Diofebo Farnese (1621–1622 Died)[15]
• Alfonso Manzanedo de Quiñones (1622–1627 Died)[15][17]
• Domenico de' Marini (patriarch) (1627–1635 Died)[15]
• Giovanni Battista Colonna (1636–1637 Died)[15]
• Tegrimus Tegrimi (1638–1641 Died)[18]
• Aegidius Ursinus de Vivere (1641–1647 Died)[8][15][19]
  • unknown
• Camillo Massimo (1653–1671)[15]
• Egidio Colonna (patriarch), O.S.B. (1671–1686 Died)[20]
• Bandino Panciatichi (1689–1690)[20]
• Niccolo Pietro Bargellini (1690–1694 Died)[20]
• Francesco Martelli (1698–1706)[20]
• Muzio Gaeta (1708–1728)[20][21]
• Vincent Louis Gotti (1728–1729)[20]
• Pompeo Aldrovandi (1729–1734)[20]
• Tommaso Cervini (1734–1751)
• Tommaso de Moncada (1751–1762)
• Giorgio Maria Lascaris (1762–1795)
  • vacant (1795–1800)
• Michele di Pietro (1800–1821)
• Francesco Maria Fenzi (1816–1829)
• Paolo Augusto Foscolo (1830–1847), later Latin Patriarch of Alexandria, 1847–1860

Alessio Ascalesi the Archbishop of Naples with Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer & Luigi Barlassina the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem on the right, August 11, 1926

Restoration of resident Latin Patriarchs of Jerusalem in 1847.

• Joseph Valerga (1847–1872)
• Giovanni Vincenzo Bracco (1872–1889)

Latin patriarchate hierarchy re-established in 1889.

• Luigi Piavi (1889–1905)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Pasquale Appodia (13 Feb 1891 – 7 Nov 1901)

• vacant (1905–1906)

• Filippo Camassei (1906–1919)
• Luigi Barlassina (1920–1947)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Godric Kean (14 Jul 1924 – 1928.12)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Francesco Fellinger (26 Feb 1929 – 22 Jul 1940)

• vacant (1947–1949)
• Auxiliary Bishop: Vincent Gelat (30 Apr 1948 – 19 Jan 1968)

• Alberto Gori (1949–1970)
  • Vicar general: Bishop Pier Giorgio Chiappero, O.F.M. (31 Aug 1959 – 15 Jul 1963)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Hanna Kaldany (4 Jan 1964 – 14 May 1996)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Neemeh Simaan (21 Sep 1965 – 25 May 1981)
• Giacomo Giuseppe Beltritti (1970–1987)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Salim Sayegh (26 Nov 1981 – 19 Jan 2012)
• Michel Sabbah (1987–2008)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Kamal Hanna Bathish (29 Apr 1993 – 9 Jun 2007)
• Fouad Twal (2008–2016)
  • Auxiliary Bishop (29 Apr 1993 – 29 Aug 2020): Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, Titular Bishop of Emmaus
  • Auxiliary Bishop (31 Mar 2010 – 24 June 2016): William Hanna Shomali, titular Bishop of Lydda

• vacant (24 Jun 2016 – 6 November 2020)[22]

• Pierbattista Pizzaballa (6 November 2020 – present)

• Catholic Church in Israel
• Catholic Church in Palestine
• Catholic Church in the Middle East
• List of Catholic dioceses in the Holy Land and Cyprus
• List of parishes of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
• Our Lady of Palestine
• Custody of the Holy Land
• Latin Church in the Middle East

• Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem website
• Saint James Vicariate for Hebrew Speaking Catholics
• Listing Latin Patriarchs of Jerusalem at GCatholic.org
• Patriarchate of Jerusalem {Gerusalemme} at the Catholic Hierarchy website
• Homily of John Paul II in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre