Syriac Catholic Church Faces First Patriarchal Removal Process Under Pope Leo XIV’s Reform

September 17, 2026: The Syriac Catholic Church has become the first Eastern Church sui iuris to initiate a process seeking the removal of its patriarch following canonical reforms promulgated by Pope Leo XIV on August 29.

The process was initiated on September 4 when the senior bishop of the Syriac Catholic Church’s synod of bishops called for a vote on the removal of Patriarch Ignace Youssif III Younan, who has led the Church since 2009. His formal title is Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Syrians.

The development follows Pope Leo XIV’s motu proprio Mutua concordia, which amended the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches and created a mechanism allowing bishops of an Eastern Catholic Church’s synod to convene a meeting to consider removing a patriarch or major archbishop when the leader is found to have caused “irreparable damage” to the communion of the Church.

Under the new law, the senior bishop of the synod who supports the removal is responsible for calling the synodal meeting. A two-thirds majority of the voting members, usually the diocesan bishops of the Eastern Catholic Church, is required for removal. Any decision to remove a patriarch must then be confirmed by the pope.

The law does not define specific legal criteria for determining or establishing alleged “irreparable damage” to internal communion. However, it requires that the patriarch be given an opportunity to defend himself before the synod.

According to a report in La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, Patriarch Youssif responded to the removal process by calling a meeting of the Church’s synod. The move is expected to provide the first test of the new canonical procedure and could potentially lead to Roman intervention.

Syriac Catholic bishops are expected to meet in late September or early October for a gathering that could involve a decision on the patriarch’s removal. However, Patriarch Youssif’s decision to call a synod would instead see the bishops gather in November.

Dissatisfaction among Syriac bishops has reportedly focused on Patriarch Youssif’s refusal to convene governing synodal meetings despite repeated requests from bishops over the past three years. Sources close to the Syriac Church told The Pillar that the patriarch’s decision to call a synod now is likely to be viewed as “too late” amid broad episcopal frustration.

Patriarch Youssif, 81, has led the Syriac Catholic Church since 2009. The Church has around 160,000 members, most of whom live in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Approximately 16,000 Syriac Catholics live in the United States, where they worship in 11 parishes of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance.

News Credits: The Pillar