Patriarch says Vatican prefect, Syriac bishop coordinated ‘rebellion’

Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church accused a Vatican cardinal and a Syriac Catholic bishop of coordinating efforts to remove him from office. Speaking to The Pillar on Tuesday, Youssef claimed the prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Catholic Churches and Bishop Flaviano Rami Al-Kabalan have mobilized to challenge his leadership.

Youssef is the first Eastern Catholic leader facing potential dismissal under new norms, Mutua concordia, recently issued by Pope Leo XIV. These rules allow Eastern Catholic bishops to remove a patriarch through a majority vote, which then requires papal confirmation. Earlier this month, bishops of the Lebanon-based Syriac Catholic Church moved to call for a meeting to vote on his removal.

Youssef attributed the movement among his bishops to a dispute with Bishop Al-Kabalan, who previously served as the Syriac Catholic Church’s procurator in Rome. Despite the push for his dismissal, Youssef stated that most Syriac Catholics in the Middle East and the diaspora support his continued ministry.