Archeparchy of Baalbek, Ba'lbek, Eliopoli
Heliopolitan(us) Graecorum Melkitarum
Archeparchy of the patriarchate · Melkite Greek Catholic Church · Baalbek, Lebanon
Melkite Greek Catholic archeparchy of Baalbek (ancient Heliopolis) in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, subject to the Melkite Patriarchate of Antioch. Archbishop Makhoul Farha, O.C.D., was appointed on July 16, 2025, succeeding Elias Youssef Rahal, S.M.S.P., who retired the same day.
The see
- Rank
- Archeparchy of the patriarchate
- Tradition
- Melkite Greek Catholic Church
- Erected
- 1964
- Latin
- Heliopolitan(us) Graecorum Melkitarum
- Annuario code
- 001000772
The see in figures
- Population
- 2,010
- Priests
- 15
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Archbishop
- Makhoul Farha, O.C.D.
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Saint Barbara Cathedral stands in Baalbek, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of Melkite Patriarchate of Antioch
The sees of this province:
- Archeparchy of Akka, San Giovanni d'Acri, TolemaideAkka
- Patriarchal Territory of GerusalemmeGerusalemme
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
Immediately subject to the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Melkites, the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Baalbek (Latin: Archeparchia Heliopolitana Graecorum Melkitarum) is a diocese of the Catholic Church presently led by Archbishop Elias Rahal.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].