The Patriarch of Antioch and the rest of the East of the Greek Orthodox, held the position of the highest religious reference for Orthodox Christians in SyriaIt is considered the highest Christian church figure in the country. The standings carry 158 in the Antioch chain, and was elected in December 2012, and officially received his duties on February 10, 2013.
Generator
John X Yazji was born in 1955 in the city Latakia In Syria, he grew up and grew up in an intellectual Orthodox family, raising knowledge and knowledge, and was raised with his three brothers in an environment that contributed to the formation of his educational and intellectual career.
His mother is a Lebanese named Rose Moussa, from Akkar Governorate, north LebanonAs for his father, Muna Yazji, he is a Syrian poet and a professor in Arabic.
Study and scientific training
He received his school education in his hometown, and he was among the distinguished students throughout his studies. In the early 1970s, he joined the University of Tishreen in Lattakia, and he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
Based on his desire to devote his life to ecclesiastical service, he decided to move to the study of theology, so he joined the Institute of Saint John Demashqi the theologian of the University of Palmand in Lebanon. There he received an integrated theologian, essential and advanced, and graduated in 1978.
Later, he completed his postgraduate studies in the same specialization at the University of Saloniki in Greece, crowning his academic course by obtaining a doctorate in 1983, with a thesis entitled “The Service of the Holy Bumk-Historical, Theological and Liturgy Study.”
During his stay in Greece, he also obtained a certificate in ecclesiastical music from the Higher Institute of Byzantine Music in Saloniki in 1981, and established a Byzantine Testing School, took over the youth of youth and participated in several spiritual activities.
The church march
The ecclesiastical march began to John the tenth in 1979, when Bishop John Mansour Shamsa was drawn by the Bishop of Latakia of the Greek Orthodox in Syria, then he was appointed a priest in the diocese of Lattakia in 1983.
In 1981, the teaching of liturgia began at the University of Balmand, and later took over the Deanship of the Theological College between 1988 and 1990.
Between 1993 and 2005, the Monastery of St. George of Humayra headed in Wadi Al -Nasri, Syria, in which he established a school of seminary to rehabilitate the priests. He also contributed in the same period to the establishment of the “Monastery of the Lady” for the nuns in Belmana Tartous Governorate.
He returned to take over the Deanship of the Theological College again between 2001 and 2005, in parallel with his presidency of the Monastery of Lady of the Patriarchate.
In 1995, a bishop was elected on the diocese of the Christian Valley, the position he occupied until 2008, then chose it by the Antioching Council as a bishop on the diocese of Europe, which remained on top of it until his election as the Patriarch in 2012.
On December 17, 2012, John X, Yazji, Patriarch of “Antioch and the rest of the East of the Greek Orthodox”, was chosen to succeed the late Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim, who died on the fifth of the same month.
His election came in a church complex in which 18 bishops participated, while two were absent for health reasons. John X got 12 votes in the second round of the vote, which resolved the result in his favor in an electoral complex described as “short and decisive”.
On February 10, 2013, the new Patriarch officially received his duties at the inauguration ceremony held at the “Church of the Holy Cross” in the Al -Qassaa neighborhood in Damascus, in the presence of a number of patriarchs and churches, including Patriarch Gregory III (Roman Catholic Romans), and Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al -Raei (Maronite).
The previous Pope directed “Pordek 16“A congratulatory message to the new patriarch, while the Syrian state represented at the ceremony the then Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Muhammad Jihad Al -Lahham, along with a number of ministers, and a limited diplomatic presence due to the closure of many embassies in Damascus Following Syrian revolution.
After 3 days, another festive mass was held in Beirut On the occasion of the inauguration, the President of the Lebanese Republic attended it at the time Michel SuleimanAnd a number of senior Lebanese officials.
His position on the Syrian revolution
Initially, the Patriarch refrained from taking a political position in support of any party of the Syrian revolution, stressing that “the role of Christians is to be a bridge to communicate between the conflicting parties.”
In his public stances, he stressed “the values of freedom and social justice”, rejecting “violence and killing in any way or under any pretext.”
He also called for “the dialogue between the parties to reach a political solution to the crisis,” considering that “dialogue and political director are the way of salvation for Syria.”
Despite his declared neutrality, the Patriarch adhered to the protocol traditions. In December 2012, he visited the ousted president Bashar al -Assad Immediately after installing it.
In August 2014, during a mass in the Monastery of St. George of Himyara, he made statements that sparked controversy, as he pointed out that “Syria is steadfast led by Bashar al -Assad, its people and its army,” stressing “the importance of national unity and rejecting any attempt to sort society sectarianism”, and concluded by directing a prayer to protect the president and the security of the country.
Later, in May 2024, the Patriarch visited the memorial forHafez al -AssadAnd he wrote in the record of condolences, words of appreciation in which he praised his style of government, describing him as a “state and strategic man” who contributed, as he put it, to “achieving national stability and upholding the Syrian dignity.”
St. Elias Church bombing
On June 22, 2025, a suicide bomber targeted the Mar Elias Church in the Al -Duwaida neighborhood of the capital, Damascus, and killed 25 Christians. The Syrian government was accusing him. ISIS.
During the funeral of the victims, which was held on the 24th of the same month in the Church of the Cross in the capital, Patriarch John X, Yazji, directed a public criticism of the Syrian government, and described the attack as “a massacre and a heinous crime that affects the essence of the Syrian fabric.”
The Patriarch stressed “the government bears full responsibility for the failure to protect citizens, especially the people of the Christian community while performing religious rituals,” pointing to the absence of any government official from the attack site after its occurrence, despite the presence of the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Qabawat in addition to the Minister of Emergency, Disaster Management, Damascus Governor and other security and non -security officials.
His publications between translation and authorship
The first Patriarch John X Yazji is a special interest in the Orthodoxy, as he supervised the translation of an important number of church rituals to ArabicIn order to develop liturgy texts and facilitate their use in Arabic -speaking churches.
Besides, he wrote several books, wrote articles and gave academic lectures in religious forums and specialized international conferences, which dealt with topics mainly related to theology, music and Orthodoxy.
Among his most prominent books are:
- The service of the Holy baptism-a historical, theological and l and action study, the University of Salonic in 1983 (PhD thesis in the Greek language).
- Principles of Byzantine Music, Al -Balamand University in 1990 (a second edition was printed in 2001).
- The biography of St. Nacharius, the wondrous, Latakia in 1990.
- The priesthood and the marriage of the clergy, Latakia in 1990.
- Baptism is the secret of entering life in Christ, Latakia in 1992.
- The service of the priests, the Monastery of St. George, the Patriarchate in 2001 (a second revised second edition was printed in 2005).
- The 6 -part liturgical studies series.
His most prominent translations into Arabic:
- “The life of our righteous mother, Makrina”, by Saint Gregorius Al -Nasisi, the series “The Saint”, Al -Nour Publications of 1984.
- “Chapters in Prayer and Spiritual Life”, by St. Afgharius, the Pintius and St.