IRAQ
For more information on church history in Iraq see here
LATIN RITE
BAGHDAD
(also called Babylon as in those times both cities were erroneously identified with
each other)
Although Latin missionaries had already been present in Mesopotamia (or Iraq) as
early as the 13th century, it was only in the 16th and 17th centuries that their
activities had some results and that a Catholic diocese of Baghdad could be erected
(1632).
It became an Archdiocese in 1848.
Archbishops
1856 - 1887 vacant
Apostolic Administrators
(all = Apostolic Delegates for Mesopotamia, Kurdistan and Armenia
Minor)
1866 - 1873 Nicola Castello, Titular
Archbishop of Marcianopolis
in Moesia Inferior 1799 - 1873
1874 - 1883 Eugène Louis Marie Lion,
Titular Archbishop of
Damiatensis in Augustamnica
Prima 1826 - 1886
1884 - 1887 Henri Victor Altmayer,
Titular Bishop of Chalcis in
Syria Prima 1844 - 1930
1887 - 1902 Henri Victor Altmayer s.a.
1902 - 1917 Désiré Jean Drure 1859 - 1917
1917 - 1921 vacant
1921 - 1929 François Berré 1857 - 1929
1929 - 1939 vacant
Apostolic Administrators
1929 - 1936 Antonin Fernand Drapier,
Titular Archbishop of
Neocaesarea in Pontus and
Apostolic Delegate in
Mesopotamia and Kurdistan 1891 - 1967
1936 - 1939 ...
1939 - 1964 Armand Etienne Blanquet du Chayla 1887 - 1970
Apart from the Archdiocese there also existed the independent missions of Baghdad
and of Mossul
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BAGHDAD
The independent mission of Baghdad was established in 1896.
Superiors
1896 - 1926 ...
1926 - 193. Grégoire de la Vierge
1938 - 1954 Noel del Ssmo. Sacramento
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MOSUL
The independent mission of Mosul was established in 1750.
Superiors
1871 - 1907 ...
1907 - 1921 François Berré s.a.
1921 - 1937 ...
1937 - 1953 Ceslas Tummer
CHALDEAN RITE
BABYLON
As a consequence of a succession quarrel, part of the Assyrian Church united with
Rome in 1551 and a new uniate Patriarchate of Babylon was erected in 1553.
The scission between the two Nestorian Churches was also formally recognized by the
Osmanli government in 1844 and the uniate group now became a separate Millet (1) of
the Empire, known as the Chaldean Church.
(1) Millet = Nation : Religious community enjoying fargoing administrative,
religious and cultural autonomy within the Osmanli state.
Catholicos Patriarchs
"His Beatitude ... Catholicos of Seleucia-Ctesifonte and Patriarch of Babylon of
the Chaldeans"
1848 - 1878 Mar Joseph VI Audo 1790 - 1878
1879 - 1894 Mar Pierre Eliyya XIV Abbo-Alyonan 1840 - 1894
1895 - 1899 Mar Georges Ebed-Iesus (Abdisho) V Khayat 1827 - 1899
1900 - 1947 Mar Joseph Emanuel II Toma 1852 - 1947
The Catholicos Patriarchs were the heads of the whole community, but only part of
Iraq itself was under their direct authority, the remaining parts being subject to
the metropolitan Eparchies of Kirkuk (for the North) and Perat-Maishan (now Basra,
for the South).
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KIRKUK (KÊRKÛK)
The Chaldean Eparchy of Kirkuk was erected in 1789.
Eparchs
1854 - 1881 Johannes Tamnes
1883 - 1899 Joseph Gabriel Adamo
1900 - 1903 Joseph Eliyya Khayat
1904 - 1917 Theodoros Msayeh
1917 - 1953 Stephane Djibri
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PERAT-MAISHAN
The Chaldean Eparchy of Perat-Maishan was erected in ...
Eparchs
1871 - 1945 ...
SYRIAN RITE
The two jurisdictions of the Syrian Catholic Church - the second most inportant of
the united Oriental Churches in Iraq - were subordinated to their Patriarchs of
Antioch. (1)
(1) The third major uniate community - that of the Catholic Armenians - was
subject to the Anatolian Archeparchy of Mardin.
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MOSUL
As a result of Catholic missionary activity part of the Syrian or Jacobite Church
in Iraq united with Rome and in 1790 a Syrian Catholic Archeparchy of Babylonia with
its seat at Mosul, was erected for these communities.
In 1862 it was divided into :
- The Archeparchy Mosul covering Northern Iraq
- The Archeparchy Baghdad covering the southern part
Archeparchs
1862 - 1893 Cyrille Benham Benni
1893 - 1901 ...
1901 - 1924 Gregoire Habra
1926 - 1951 Cyrille Athanase Georges Dallal
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BAGHDAD
A new Archeparchy of Baghdad was erected in 1862 at the division of the original
Syrian Catholic Archaparchy.
Archeparchs
1862 - 18.. Athanase Raphael Jarkhi
1890 - 1894 Ignace Rahmani
1894 - 1908 Athanase Ignace Nuri
1908 - 1912 ...
1912 - 1926 Cyrille Athanase Georges Dallal s.a.
1926 - 1949 Athanase Jules Benham Kalian
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