Elias Coueter

Elias Coueter (born 15 August 1896 in Damascus, Syria, - died on 16 June 1985) was bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and first eparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo for all Melkites in Brazil.

Bishop of Brazil

In 1939, Elias Coueter was envoyed to Brazil, where he continued the development of the communities. By 1951 the community had from Melkites, Maronites, Ukrainian Catholics, Russian Greek Catholics, Romanian Greek Catholics and Syriac Catholics together set, significantly increased. In the same period, the municipality of Paraíso in São Paulo had also increased, according to her the eparchy was later to be named. The Archbishop Jaime de Barros Camara of Rio de Janeiro (1943-1971) appointed him in 1951 with the approval of the Holy See and the Melkite Patriarch of Antioch Maximos IV Sayegh Vicar General and entrusted him with the responsibility for all Melkite Christians in Brazil. On November 25, 1960, Coueter was appointed Titular Bishop of Taua and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Byzantine Catholics in Brazil.

In 1977, he handed in his resignation due to age and became professor emeritus on June 22, 1978. He was retired bishop of the Melkites in Brazil until his death on June 16, 1985.