MELKITES. — In scholarly usage, the term designates the faithful of the Byzantine rite, both Catholic and dissident, of the patriarchates of Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. The word derives from the Syriac *malka* = king (βασιλεύς). The Melkites were so called by their Monophysite adversaries, the faithful of the aforementioned patriarchates, who adhered to the faith of the βασιλεύς of Byzantium. They were Catholic until, at a time difficult to determine, after the schism of Cerularius (1054), they separated from the Catholic Church. Originally, the Melkites followed the West Syrian rite and, respectively (in Egypt), the Alexandrian rite; but under the influence of Constantinople, from the 10th century onward, they gradually adopted the Byzantine rite. From the 17th century onward, a portion of them returned to union with Rome. The Catholic Melkites have had their own patriarchates without interruption since 1724. Historically, there is no reason to restrict the name Melkite, as some authors do, to Catholics alone. Indeed, today neither the dissidents nor the Catholics call themselves Melkites. The former call themselves “Rumanoi Orthodoxoi” and the latter “Greek-Catholics.” For the Melkites, see ALESSANDRIA; ANTIOCHIA; GERUSALEMME; PATRIARCATO di Siriaca; only brief indications are given here.
I. CATHOLIC MELKITES. — The Melkite patriarch of Antioch also bears the title of Jerusalem and Alexandria; he resides in Damascus or Cairo. Immediately subject to him are the dioceses of Damascus, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Cairo, and Sudan, as well as the faithful of Constantinople and Iraq. These dioceses together number 41,400 faithful (of whom 10,900 in Syria, 25,000 in Egypt, 3,150 in Palestine, 2,000 in Sudan, 150 in Constantinople, and 200 in Iraq). There are also the following suffragan dioceses: Ba'albek (27,500 faithful), Zahleh (22,717), Tyre (3,780), Sidon (15,000), Paneas (3,000), Tripoli of Lebanon (5,000), Hawran or Bosra (7,453), Aleppo (14,000), Beirut (17,000), Homs-Hama (8,500), Saint-Jean d'Acre (25,000), Amman (6,500). Thus, the total number of Catholic Melkites in the patriarchal territory is 196,854, to which must be added 71,800 dispersed, especially in America. There are 307 parishes; 379 churches and chapels; 343 priests, of whom 182 are secular.
Religious orders: Basilian Monks of the Most Holy Savior (7 monasteries, 124 priests, 89 students, 8 lay brothers, 4 novices, and 55 postulants); Basilian Monks of Saint John of Suvar (110 monks and 20 novices); Aleppine Basilians (75 monks, 15 novices, and 6 postulants). Each of these three orders has its respective female branch with 27, 45, and 30 members. The Paulists, a modern active congregation founded in 1903 (30 priests, 11 students, 13 brothers, 10 novices, 21 postulants). The Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help were founded in 1936 by the Paulists and number 35 sisters and 13 novices.
For the formation of the clergy, there is the Seminary of Saint Anne in Jerusalem, run by the White Fathers. In 1948, the Seminary for Late Vocations was reopened in 'Ajin Tiraz (Lebanon). The Syrian Melkites publish the journal *al-Masarrah*.
II. DISSIDENT MELKITES. — The patriarchate of Antioch has 152,000 faithful; the patriarch, an Arab, resides in Damascus. The patriarchate of Jerusalem has 56,000 faithful; the patriarch, a Greek, resides there. The patriarchate of Alexandria has 130,000 faithful, of whom three-quarters are recently immigrated Greeks. The patriarch, a Greek, resides in Cairo (see also EGITTO). The Melkites in Egypt publish the journal *Panthanos* in Greek and *Il Buon Pastore* in Arabic.
MELKITE RITE. — Under this designation is understood the rite practiced in the three dissident patriarchates of Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria, as well as in the Catholic patriarchate of Antioch (which is united in the person of its incumbent with the other two), and in their communities scattered in North and South America and in Africa.
Today, the Melkite rite is a branch of the Byzantine rite, differing from that in use in Constantinople and Greece only in the liturgical language, which is Arabic, in the chant, and in certain particular usages, more numerous among Catholics (for the origin of the Melkite rite, see ANTIOCHIA di SIRIA. Il rito antiocheno; ALESSANDRIA d'EGITTO. Il rito alessandrino).
Since the Monophysite Church in Syria and Egypt was constituted in opposition to the Orthodox, the rite of the latter may be called Melkite; this from the 6th-7th century. The process of Byzantinization made great progress in the 10th century, becoming complete in the 13th. Of great importance are the two responses of Balsamon, one favorable regarding the use of the Arabic language in the liturgy (PG 138, 957), the other negative concerning the use of formularies for the liturgy outside of the Euchologion and the Basilian (PG 137, 627; 138, 935). The “Orthodox” always closely followed the rite of Constantinople, while the others, after union with Rome, introduced new feasts into the calendar, the benediction of the Eucharist, and, due to the practice of daily Mass, made suppressions or changes for which they were reprimanded by the Holy See (e.g., the bull *Demandatam* of Benedict XIV of 24 Dec. 1743); Korolevskij (see op. cit. in bibliography, p. 191) distinguishes among these usages some commendable, others tolerable, and others contrary to the genuine rite.
In the first half of the 17th century, Meletios Karma, metropolitan of Aleppo, revised and completed the Arabic translation of many liturgical books; his recension served as the basis for the numerous editions of almost all liturgical books made by both Catholics and “Orthodox.”