Since its foundation in 1992, the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries in Holy Land (ACOHL) has brought together the Bishops/Eparchs/Exarchs of the Catholic Church holding jurisdiction over the territory of the Holy Land: Jerusalem, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus.
Catholic Ordinaries belong to:
- The Latin Church,
- The Greek Melkite Catholic Church,
- The Maronite Church,
- The Armenian Catholic Church,
- The Syriac Catholic Church
- The Chaldean Catholic Church
Its statutes, approved ad experimentum by Pope John Paul II on January 1992, then finally on November 2016 by the Congregation for Oriental Churches, make it an Ecclesiastical Legal Personality.
It is statutorily chaired by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The Vice-president is elected by the Assembly for a period of 3 years renewable.
At present, the Assembly is composed of 27 members: of which 5 residential Ordinaries, 3 Exarchs, 8 Patriarch Vicars, 8 Bishops emeriti, 3 representatives of the Custody of the Holy Land as well as Religious men and women.
The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land meets twice a year in a plenary ordinary meeting or in an extraordinary regional meeting if necessary.
The purpose of the ACOHL is to:
- Deepen the communion between Catholic Churches
- Promote coordination in pastoral work
- Support common initiatives
- Promote the good of religion
- Observe ecclesiastical discipline
A Statement is published and the end of each meeting. All ACOHL statements are available here.
An integral part of the AOTCS, the Justice & Peace Commission is chaired by Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah. It aims to contribute to the Church’s reflection on the situation in the Holy Land. You can consult its work here.
Contact details :
- Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center
- P.O.B. 20531 – 9120402
- JERUSALEM
- Tel (02) 628 85 54 – (02) 628 85 55
- secretary@aocts.org
Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land – A.C.O.H.L.
Assemblée des Ordinaires Catholiques de Terre Sainte – A.O.C.T.S.
H.B. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM
Patriarch of Jerusalem for Latins
P.O.B. 14152 / 9114101 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 23 23 ; Fax: (02) 627 16 52
Email: chancellery@lpj.org (Chancellor)
Most Rev. Yousef Matta
Greek Melkite Cath. Archbishop of Akka
33 Hagefen Street
P.O.B. 9450 / 3505318 Haifa
Tel. (04) 850 81 07 ; 850 81 05 ; Fax 850 81 96
Mobile: 052 337 00 94
Email: melkite.galilee.office@gmail.com
Most Rev. Moussa El-Hage, O.A.M.
Maronite Archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land
68 Hatkhelet Street / P.O.B. 8154 / 3108101 Haifa
Tel: (04) 853 69 95; fax: 853 69 97
Tel & fax: (04) 852 07 18 (direct)
Mobile: 052 635 17 13
Email: moussahage54@gmail.com
Most Rev. Joseph Gébara
Greek Melkite Archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia
Masmour Street – Um Alsummaq
P.O.B 2435 / 11181 Amman
Tel & fax: +962 6 586 66 73; 581 57 39
Email: josephabouna1965@yahoo.com
Most Rev. Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
10 Karaiskaki Street / P.O.B. 22249
2012 Strovolos / 1519 Nicosia
Tel: (022) 42 79 66 ; Fax: (022) 31 49 19
Email: betmorounincyprus@gmail.com
H.B. Michel Sabbah
Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem for Latins
P.O.B. 95 / 9100002 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 627 83 20 ; Fax: (02) 628 83 63
Email: ms@lpj.org
H.B. Fouad Twal
Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem for Latins
Our Lady of Peace Centre
P.O.B. 851379 / 11185 Amman
Tel: +962 (0)6 429 19 90/1
Fax: 429 19 92
Email: fbt@lpj.org
Most Rev. Boutros Mouallem, M.S.P.
Emeritus Greek Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Akka
P.O.B. 120 – 1697200 Eilaboun, Israel
Tel & fax: (04) 678 04 45
Mobile: 054 555 23 18
Email: boutrosmouallem@hotmail.com
Most Rev. Elias Chacour
Emeritus Greek Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Akka
P.O.B. 102 – 3001200 Ibillin
Mobile: 054 771 72 90
Email: e_shakour@hotmail.com
Most Rev. Yaser Al-Ayyash
Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarchal Vicar
for Jerusalem
P.O.B. 14130 / 9114101 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 20 23 ; Fax: (02) 628 66 52
Mobile: 052 724 85 72
Email: fryaser@yahoo.com
Most Rev. Joseph Jules Zerey
Emeritus Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarchal Vicar
for Jerusalem
P.O.B. 14130 / 9114101 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 20 23; Fax: (02) 628 66 52
Most Rev. Yacoub Ephrem Semaan
Syro-Catholic Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem
6 Chaldean Street – Nablus Road
P.O.B. 19787 / 9119702 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 26 57 ; Telefax: (02) 628 42 17
Mobile: 050 294 95 11
Email: ab_kamil@hotmail.com
Rt. Rev. Nersès Joseph Zabbara
Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem
36 Via Dolorosa, III Station (old City)
P.O.B. 19546 – 9119401 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 42 46; Fax: (02) 627 21 23
Email: josephzabara@gmail.com
Most Rev. William H. Shomali
Auxiliary Bishop – Vicar General of the LPJ
Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem & Palestine
P.O.B. 14152 / 9114101 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 23 23 ; Fax: (02) 627 16 52
Email: ws@lpj.org
Most Rev. Jamal Khader
Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan
28 Princess Alia Street – Sweifieh
P.O.B. 851379 / 11185 Amman
Tel: +962 6 592 95 46/7 Fax: +962 6 592 05 48
Email: latinvicam @lpj.org
Most Rev. Rafic Nahra
Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Israel
Street 6191/3 / 1610001 Nazareth
Tel: (04) 655 40 75; Fax: (04) 645 24 16
Email: latinvicnaz@lpj.org
Rt. Rev. Jerzy Kraj, OFM
Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Cyprus
Holy Cross Church – Paphos Gate 1
P.O.B. 21964 / 1015 Nicosia
Tel: +375 (22) 66 21 32; Fax: 66 07 67
Email: jkraj@custodia.org
Rt. Rev. Piotr Zelazko
Patriarchal Vicar for Saint James Vicariate
Saints Simeon and Anne House
10 Harav Kook Street
P.O.B. 581 / 9100402 Jerusalem
Email: stjames.vicar@lpj.org
Most Rev. Kamal-Hanna Bathish
Emeritus Auxiliary Bishop
P.O.B. 14151 / 9114101 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 23 23; Fax: (02) 626 09 23
Email: kamal.123@lpj.org
Most Rev. Selim Sayegh
Emeritus Auxiliary Bishop
c/o Our Lady of Peace Center
P.O.B. 851379 / 11185 Amman
Tel: +962 6 429 19 90/1 Fax: + 962 6 429 19 92
Email via: shawkib@hotmail.com
Most Rev. Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo
Emeritus Auxiliary Bishop
P.O.B. 14152 – 9114101 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 628 23 23 ; Fax: (02) 627 16 52
Email: latinvic@lpj.org
Rt. Rev. Francesco Patton, OFM
Custos of the Holy Land
1 Saint Francis Street
P.O.B. 186 / 9100101 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 626 65 61 (Personal Secretary)
Email: custos@custodia.org
Rt. Rev. Zaid A. Habbaba
Chaldean Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan
Jabal Al-Hussein – Deir Yaseen St. 10
Amman
Tel: +962 (06) 568 84 31
Email: zaid_habbaba@yahoo.com
Rt. Rev. Nikodemus Schnabel, O.S.B.
Vicar for the Migrants and Asylum Seekers
Dormition Abbey / Mount Zion
P.O.B. 22 / 9100001 Jerusalem
Tel. (02) 565 53 30
E-mail: vicariate.migrants@lpj.org
nikodemus.schnabel@gmail.com
Rt. Rev. David Neuhaus, S.J.
Jesuits Monastery
3 Paul Emile Botta Str.
P.O.B. 497 / 9100401 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 625 28 43 ; Fax: 624 12 03
Email: neuhaussj@gmail.com
Rev. Sr. Bruna Fasan,
Monastery ‘Sacri Cuori’
P.O.B. 5185 / Tarshiha (upper Galilee)
Email: sr.bruna.fasan@gmail.com
General Secretary:
Rev. Marcelo Gallardo, IVE
ASSEMBLY OF CATHOLIC ORDINARIES OF THE HOLY LAND 