Ignatius V Qattan

Ignatius V Moussa Qattan, (or Cattan, Kattan, Quattan, 1756–1833) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1816 until 1833.

Life Moussa Qattan was born in 1756 (or 1752) in Zouk, Lebanon. He was the nephew of Soleiman Qattan, who ran the printing press of the monastery of Saint John at Choueir after the death of Abdallah Zakher. Moussa Qattan worked with his uncle in the press. We know that in 1790 Moussa Qattan was a celibate diocesan priest serving in Zouk. His being diocesan priest allowed him to be outsider in the conflict about the two monastic orders that marked the history of the 18th century Melkite Catholic Church.

After the contested election of Michael Mazloum as bishop of Aleppo in 1810 and Mazloum's following dismissal, Moussa Qattan was appointed on 30 May 1811 as Apostolic Administrator of Aleppo. He maintained this ministry until his election as Patriarch.

At the death of Macarius IV Tawil the episcopal synod of the Melkite Catholic Church (composed by only four bishops, the fifth bishop, Mazloum, being in Rome) elected Moussa Qattan as Patriarch, according to the wishes of Aloisio Gandolfi, the Apostolic Legate of Syria. and on 24 March Mazloum was elected new patriarch with the name of Maximos III.

Persecutions

The patriarchate of Ignatius V Qattan is remembered as a time of persecutions and vexations against the Melkite Catholic Church, that was legally still under the civil authority of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and was not able to defend itself. The violent persecutions halved the Catholic Melkite population of Aleppo and Damascus in about ten years.

The persecutions against the Melkite Catholics were particularly strong in Aleppo in 1817: nine Melkites who were killed in such a year were honored as martyrs, and the Melkites had to leave the cathedral, the metropolitan residence, the library in the hands of the Greek Orthodox who were a minority in the town.