Our Clergy
His Beatitude JOHN X
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.
His Beatitude JOHN X · Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
The successor of the apostolic see of Antioch
His Beatitude John X (Yazigi) was born in Latakia, Syria, in 1955, and was raised in a home known for education, virtue, and faith. His father, Manah Yazigi, was a teacher of Arabic and a poet; his mother, Rozah Moussi, is of Lebanese origin. Of his three siblings, one is a metropolitan and another a nun.
He first studied civil engineering at the University of Tishreen in Latakia before receiving the degree of Bachelor of Theology from the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at Balamand in 1978. He earned the degree of Doctor of Theology with Distinction from the University of Thessaloniki in 1983; his doctoral thesis, written in Greek, is a historical, theological, and liturgical study of the service of Holy Baptism. A gifted church musician, he also holds a diploma from the Higher Institute of Byzantine Music in Thessaloniki and has formed and trained choirs in the traditional chant of the Church.
In December 2012 the Holy Synod elected him Patriarch of Antioch and All the East — successor to the apostolic see where “the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). He is the author of numerous works on theology, liturgy, and church music.
Our father in Christ
Saint George Cathedral commemorates Patriarch JOHN X in every Divine Liturgy, as the Church of Antioch prays with one voice.
