ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

119 Christological faith, admitting the faithful to mutual sacramental communion and allowing the reciprocal formation of can- didates for the priesthood. The bishops are elected from among the monks. Both are celibate, not so the rural clergy. Seat of the patriarchate: Damascus. Patriarchal title: Patriarch of Antioch and the entire East. The Syriac Church, like all Eastern Churches, has a patriarchal structure. Its head is presented as "Pa- triarch of Antioch and the entire East". He is considered the direct and legitimate heir of the early Apostolic Church of An- tioch, ruled by the first bishop-martyr St. Ignatius. Liturgy: Antiochenean rite in Syriac Presence in the Middle East: about 150,000 Presence in the Diaspora: about 150,000, mainly in Northern Europe, USA and Ca- nada, Australia. There is an ecclesiastical organization in the Diaspora, with dioce- ses and parishes. Siro-Catholic Church Detached from the Orthodox one in the 17th century, it is governed by a patriar- chate since 1724 accepting the primacy of the bishop of Rome, and maintain original liturgy and traditions handed down over the centuries. Seat of the Patriarchate: Beirut. Patriarchal title: Patriarch of Antochia and the Syrians Liturgy: Antiochene rite in Syrian and Arabic Presence in the Middle East.- approx. 100,000 Presence in the Diaspora: several thou- sand, mainly in Northern Europe, the Uni- ted States and Australia. There are only parishes and chaplaincies under the jurisdiction of Latin ordinaries. Latin Church in the Middle East: Origin: after an initial spread in the 11th century on the occasion of the Crusades and the Latin Kingdoms, the Latin Catholic Church had new expansion in the Middle East in the 19th century through the work of missionaries to the Eastern Christian communities. In 1847 the Latin Patriar- chate of Jerusalem was restored with the appointment of the new Patriarch, which has jurisdiction over the Latin faithful of its diocese including Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Cyprus. The other Latin Catholics of the Middle East depend on their respecti- ve Apostolic Vicars. See of the Patriarchate: Jerusalem. Patriarchal title: Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins Liturgy: Latin rite in Latin and Arabic. Presence in the Middle East Arabic: 86,300 (of which about 63,300 under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Jerusalem). Protestant Churches in theMiddle East Originally, the churches and various Pro- testant denominations spread to the Mid- dle East from the 19th century onwards through the work of European and Ameri- can missionaries to the Eastern Christian communities. There are currently about eleven different Protestant denomina- tions in the Arab Middle East which are part of the Council of Churches of the Middle East: the Evangelical Episcopal Churches, the Lutheran Church, the Pre- sbyterian Church and five other different Evangelical Churches to which the Natio- nal Evangelical Union of Lebanon and the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches of the Middle East belong. New evangelical movements must be ad- ded to the established churches. The Protestant churches have ongoing ecumenical dialogues with both the Catho- lic Church and the other Chalcedon and non-Chalcedon Eastern Churches. Despite the small number of faithful, they are very active in public life. Liturgy: according to their respective re- formed liturgical traditions. Presence in the Arab Middle East