Gregory II Youssef
| Gregory II Youssef | |
|---|---|
| Patriarch of Antioch | |
 |
|
| Church | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| See | Patriarch of Antioch |
| Installed | September 29, 1864 |
| Term ended | July 13, 1897 |
| Predecessor | Clement Bahouth |
| Successor | Peter IV Geraigiry |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 11, 1854 (Priest) |
| Consecration | November 13, 1856 (Bishop) by Clement Bahouth |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Hanna Youssef-Sayour |
| Born | October 17, 1823 near Alexandria, Egypt |
| Died | July 13, 1897 (aged 73) Damascus |
Patriarch Gregory II Youssef, also known as Gregory II Hanna Youssef-Sayour (October 17, 1823 – July 13, 1897), was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1864 to 1897. Gregory expanded and modernized the church and its institutions and participated in the First Vatican Council, where he championed the rights of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Gregory is remembered as a particularly dynamic patriarch of the Melkite Church. He is recognized as one of the forerunners of interconfessional dialogue and as an advocate for preserving the traditions and autonomy of the Melkites.
Hanna Youssef-Sayour was born October 17, 1823, at Rosetta, near Alexandria, Egypt. In 1840, at age 16, he entered the Basilian Salvatorian Order. In 1844, he began to study in the Jesuit seminary of Kesrouane in Mount Lebanon. From 1847 to 1856 Youssef studied philosophy and theology in the Pontifical Greek College of Saint Athanasius in Rome, where he was ordained priest on June 11, 1854. Back in the Middle East, he was chosen by the newly elected patriarch Clement Bahouth as successor for the See of Acre and Galilee. He received the episcopal consecration on November 13, 1856, by patriarch Clement Bahouth.
During his episcopate Youssef faced three major issues: discontent within the Melkite Church for the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar by Clement Bahouth, a short-lived schism supported by the Russian Orthodox Church on the basis of the newly introduced Gregorian Calendar, and division between the Basilians monks. Youssef remained strictly neutral on the calendar, but fiercely fought the schism.
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