Roman Catholicism in Jordan
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Church in Jordan is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
and curia
in Rome
.
There are approximately 170,000 Catholics in Jordan
or 2.9% of the Jordanian
population. Catholics are divided in four traditions:
120,000 Melkite
Catholics - 2%
25,000 Roman Catholics - 0.4%
15,000 Armenian
Catholics - 0.3%
10,000 Syrian Catholics - 0.2%
The whole of the country forms a single Archeparchy.
Jordanian Catholics belonging to the Greek Catholic churches use the Melkite
Rite, these are referred to as "Roum Catholiks" in Jordan (Roum or Rome referring to Byzantine
, while those following the standard rites of the Roman Catholic Church
are referred to as "Lateen".
There are currently 32 Latin Catholic churches in Jordan.
For full list see Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem website:
http://www.lpj.org/newsite2006/parishes/jordan/index_jordanparishes.html
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
There are approximately 170,000 Catholics in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
or 2.9% of the Jordanian
Demographics of Jordan
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Jordan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
population. Catholics are divided in four traditions:
120,000 Melkite
Melkite
The term Melkite, also written Melchite, refers to various Byzantine Rite Christian churches and their members originating in the Middle East. The word comes from the Syriac word malkāyā , and the Arabic word Malakī...
Catholics - 2%
25,000 Roman Catholics - 0.4%
15,000 Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
Catholics - 0.3%
10,000 Syrian Catholics - 0.2%
The whole of the country forms a single Archeparchy.
Jordanian Catholics belonging to the Greek Catholic churches use the Melkite
Melkite
The term Melkite, also written Melchite, refers to various Byzantine Rite Christian churches and their members originating in the Middle East. The word comes from the Syriac word malkāyā , and the Arabic word Malakī...
Rite, these are referred to as "Roum Catholiks" in Jordan (Roum or Rome referring to Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
, while those following the standard rites of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
are referred to as "Lateen".
Miscellaneous
Communion by hand is not permitted in any Catholic Church in Jordan, and the habit itself is completely alien to most Jordanians (except Protestants). Sometimes, however, at mass conducted for non-Jordanians, and specifically westerners in Jordan, communion by hand is permitted.There are currently 32 Latin Catholic churches in Jordan.
For full list see Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem website:
http://www.lpj.org/newsite2006/parishes/jordan/index_jordanparishes.html