The Patriarchate in Beirut has confirmed that two competing synods have been called: one by the Patriarch himself for November, and a second one for late September, reportedly called by the senior bishop of the church.
Younan declared the September meeting illegitimate. According to the Patriarchate, he had already called a lawful synod on September 2nd for November, as requested by the Permanent Synod in July.
The timing is explosive. Only weeks ago, Pope Leo XIV changed the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches with the Motu proprio "Mutua concordia". Until then, only the Pope could depose an Eastern Patriarch. Now, a synod can pass a no-confidence vote with a two-thirds majority and request the Pope to approve the removal.
The reform was intended to strengthen the autonomy of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches. But critics see a connection to ongoing tensions. The Syriac Catholic Church, with about 120,000 faithful worldwide - mainly in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq and about 2,500 in Germany - is part of the Assyrian people, who have founded several different churches.
According to Italian reports, bishops had tried for three years to persuade Younan to convene a synod. Younan himself suspects an intrigue reaching into the Vatican. Speaking to The Pillar, he accused Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, of orchestrating the law change to push him out. The background is reportedly a dispute with the long-time Procurator in Rome, Bishop Flaviano Rami Al-Kabalan, whom Younan ordered back to Lebanon. The Dicastery has not commented on the accusations.
The Syriac Catholic Church is one of the five oriental churches founded by the Assyrian nation following its Christianisation.
