Dear Pavel, that information about the Melkites in Mexico comes directly from a Melkite, who is also reader and one of the cantors (and sometimes also helps cleaning the Church, the Icons and even helps preparing food when we gather together after the Divine Liturgy) of the only Melkite Church in Mexico(this is your unworthy servant)where everybody is welcome to visit and worship with us.

As a matter of fact in Mexico we only have 2 Eparchies, the Melkite with Abbouna Antoine Mouhanna as Apostolic Administrator, and the Maronite (they are quite more in numbers) who DO have a Bishop, whose name I do not recall at this moment.

God bless

Tak.

Andrew

Hello Pavel,

I might be missing something here, but I thought the question was whether Eastern Catholic Patriarchs are held in as high regard by the Pope as the "independent" and autocephalic Patriarchs.

+T+
Michael

Dear Andrew,

Excellent!

I think we Ukies should do our own thing outside of the jurisdictional boundaries and then see what the Vatican does.

I don't think it will do much - unless it wants to excommunicate us (that would solve a lot of problems, don't you think? ).

We could call this "Operation Nero" since we Ukies would be fiddling (with jurisdictional issues) while Rome burns . . .

Alex

Yep missing something towards the end of the first page in this topic where comment was past on Popes lording it over other heads of churches.

The point being made re the Melchite of Mexico is that they have His Excellency, Archimandrite Antoine Mouhanna is the Apostolic Adminstrator of México and that is off a Melchite internet site. The Eparchial throne for some undeclared reason has not been filled after the death in 1994 of the previous Bishop and an Administrator has been apointed to keep things warm until and Eparch is apointed. The previous info is that the Archimandrite is now a bishop but does not make him the Eparch of the place, the See is still vacant. I must admit to being interested in why the Eparchy has not had a successor apointed. I dont personally believe that Rome would keep the see vacant unless on the advice from Damascus.