Patriarcado Siríaco Católico de Antioquía rejects accusations against Younan

The Syriac Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch rejected accusations against Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan in a statement released on September 17. The Patriarchate denied claims of tension and described the allegations as inventions and lies.

The response follows a September 4 attempt by a group of bishops to remove Younan from office. The bishops used a procedure established by Pope Leo XIV in the motu proprio Mutua Concordia, which creates a mechanism to address serious breaks between a patriarch or major archbishop and their Synod.

The Patriarchate specifically denied claims that Younan has gone three years without calling a meeting of the Synod of Bishops. While reports from The Pillar indicated that several bishops have been dissatisfied for approximately three years due to a lack of regular meetings despite their requests, the Patriarchate stated that the claim regarding the three-year absence of the Synod lacks any foundation.