Syriac patriarchate denounces ‘lies’ after bishops move to remove patriarch

The Syriac Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch issued a statement on September 17 to deny rumors and allegations following a move by bishops to remove Patriarch Ignace Youssif III Younan. The patriarchate characterized recent claims as lies and fabrications intended to mislead the public and distort facts.

The dispute follows a charge from Syriac bishops that the patriarch has not convened a meeting of the full synod for several years. The patriarchate denied this, stating that the patriarch had already called a gathering of the synod of the Eastern Church before the bishops requested a special session to vote on his removal. This attempt to remove the patriarch marks the first use of a new law issued last month by Leo XIV that established a mechanism for removing an Eastern patriarch.

While the patriarchate did not specify which exact claims it is refuting, it noted that the patriarch is currently avoiding responding to verbal attacks. The statement indicated that the patriarchate reserves the right to take legal action against those circulating these claims at a later time.