Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan says Vatican prefect, Syriac bishop coordinated ‘rebellion’

Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan says a Vatican cardinal and a Syriac Catholic bishop coordinated efforts to challenge his leadership. Speaking to The Pillar on September 23, 2026, the patriarch claimed the prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Catholic Churches and Bishop Flaviano Rami Al-Kabalan mobilized to seek his dismissal.

The patriarch is the first leader of an Eastern Catholic Church to face potential removal under Mutua concordia, a new law promulgated by Pope Leo XIV. This law allows Eastern Catholic bishops to remove a patriarch through a majority vote, which then requires papal confirmation.

Youssef stated that the movement among Syriac bishops to remove him stems from a dispute with Bishop Al-Kabalan, who previously served as the church's procurator in Rome. While some bishops have moved to call for a meeting to vote on his removal, Youssef maintains that most Syriac Catholics globally support his continued ministry.