The Apostolic Vicariate of the Latin Church in Syria
The presence of the Latin Apostolic Vicariate in Aleppo is connected to the arrival of the sons of St. Francis of Assisi to Syria. In 1233, Franciscan monks arrived in Damascus and were present in Aleppo in 1238, where they began their spiritual work by assisting the Crusader prisoners who had fallen into captivity. Their spiritual work extended to serving the many Western merchants who were present and residing in this city.
Pope Gregory XIII sent Bishop Leonardo Apollini to Aleppo to oversee the work of both the Franciscan and Jesuit monks, who arrived to the city in 1625, as well as the Lazarists (1776), the Kushites, and the Carmelites. He remained there from 1583 to 1587, witnessing the work of the monasteries in Aleppo and how their mission expanded to include serving all Christians in the East and educating and training the local clergy.
After the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) witnessed the presence of many missionaries and their work, it established the Latin Apostolic Vicariate in 1644, and Bishop Giovanni Battista da Vara, a Franciscan, was appointed as the first Latin bishop in Syria. The new bishop entered Aleppo in 1645 and stayed for five years before resigning in 1650, after which no successor was appointed and the Apostolic Vicariate was entrusted to the Custodian of the Holy Land until 1762, as it had been before.
On June 27, 1762, Pope Clement XIII appointed Father Arnold Bosso, a Lazarist, as bishop to care for the faithful Latins in Aleppo and as Apostolic Vicar over the lands of the ancient apostolic Sees of Antioch, Jerusalem, as well as Cyprus and the Armenian Patriarchate in Silesia. Bishop Bosso did not enter Aleppo but established his residence at the Aintoura monastery of the Jesuit Fathers, Lebanon, until his death in 1774. The Episcopal See remained vacant until 1816, when on the twenty-seventh of that year the Apostolic See appointed Bishop Louis Candalphy, a Lazarist, as Apostolic Vicar for Aleppo and Apostolic representative in Syria. The latter remained in Aintoura until his death on August 25, 1825.
In the same year, Bishop Jean-Pierre Lauzanne was appointed, relocating his residence from Aintoura to Zouk Mikael until 1832. He was succeeded by Bishop Louis Biavi, who moved his residence to Harissa, where the seat continued uninterrupted until 1954. In 1847, the Apostolic See in Rome established the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, granting it authority over the territories of Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus, thus diminishing the authority of the Apostolic Vicar in Aleppo.
On June 4, 1953, Pope Pius XII founded the Apostolic Vicariate in Beirut and divided the Apostolic Vicariate in Aleppo into two independent vicariates, one in Syria and the other in Lebanon, appointing Father Louis Escola, a Jesuit, as head of the latter.
Apostolic Vicars for the Apostolic Vicariate in Aleppo
The Apostolic Vicar in Aleppo has pastoral authority over all the territories of the Syrian Arab Republic since January 1, 1954, and Bishop Paolo Babelardo was appointed by the Papal ambassador in Syria to this position. The Apostolic Vicariate remained in the hands of Papal ambassadors until 1967, when the Apostolic See appointed Father Bonaventura Aqeikhi, a Franciscan, as Apostolic Procurator who established his headquarters at the Franciscan Fathers’ Monastery in A’aziziyeh.
On March 1, 1973, Father Bonaventura Aqeikhi was appointed Bishop of Syria and Apostolic Vicar for Aleppo, marking the beginning of a new era.
Succession of the Apostolic Vicars in Aleppo
Bishop Bonaventura Aqeiki was ordained as bishop of the Latin Church in A’aziziyeh, Aleppo, on May 13, 1973, starting this new, permanent series in Aleppo. He was succeeded by Bishop Dominic Pecky, a Franciscan, followed by Bishop Armando Portolazzo, a Salesian, then Bishop Jibino Giuseppe Nazzaro, and then Bishop George Abi Khazen. This position is currently held by Bishop Hanna Mussa Jallouf, as the Bishop of the Latin Church of Syria and Apostolic Vicar in Aleppo.
