Cyril VI Tanas

Cyril VI Tanas
Patriarch of Antioch
Church	Melkite Greek Catholic Church
See	Patriarch of Antioch
Installed	September 24, 1724
Term ended	January 10, 1760
Predecessor	Athanasius III Dabbas
Successor	Maximos II Hakim
Orders
Consecration	October 1, 1724 (Bishop) by Neophytos Nasri
Personal details
Birth name	Seraphim Tanas
Born	1680 Damascus
Died	January 10, 1760 (aged 79–80)

Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas, also known as Cyril VI of Antioch (born in 1680, Damascus – died on January 10, 1760), became the first Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church following the schism of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in 1724. Cyril re-established communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

Seraphim Tanas was born in Damascus in 1680 and he was the nephew of Euthymios Saifi, bishop of Sidon. On August 3, 1701 he arrived in Marseille, France and from 1702 to 1710 he studied in the College of the Propaganda in Rome. Returned in Syria he was ordained priest by his uncle and he was distinguished for his sermons. He was appointed "Preacher of the Patriarchate of Antioch" by Patriarch Cyril V Zaim.

Like many of his fellow clerics Seraphim Tanas favored re-establishing communion with the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected on September 24, 1724 by the Melkites of Damascus as the new Patriarch of Antioch, and was consecrated as Cyril VI in the patriarchal cathedral of Damascus on October 1, 1724 by Neophytos Nasri, eparch of Saidnaya assisted by Basile Finas, eparch of Baniyas and by Euthymius Fadel, eparch of Zahle and Forzol. As Cyril was a prominent pro-Westerner, the Orthodox Patriarch Jeremias III of Constantinople, felt his authority was challenged. Jeremias declared Cyril's election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and appointed Sylvester of Antioch (1696–1766), a young Greek monk, to the patriarchal See of Antioch. Jeremias consecrated bishop Sylvester in Istanbul on October 8, 1724.

...
Wikipedia