In its synodal session held at Balamand on October 13, 2025, and in response to the request of the faithful in the region of Alexandretta (Hatay) and Mersin, the Holy Antiochian Synod—motivated by pastoral concern and the good of the Church—resolved to establish a new diocese in Turkey under the name “Diocese of Tarsus, Adana, and the Region of Alexandretta (Hatay)”.
This new diocese will encompass the provinces of Adana, Mersin, and Alexandretta (Hatay), excluding the city of Antioch, which remains the historical Sea of the Patriarchate of Antioch.
The decision was made with the blessing of His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and with the agreement of Their Eminences: Metropolitan Athanasios of Latakia and its dependencies, and Metropolitan Ephrem of Aleppo, Alexandretta, and their dependencies—who acted out of a deep sense of pastoral responsibility.
A Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop will be appointed to shepherd this new diocese, and His Beatitude will oversee the practical implementation of this decision.
Consequently, the name of the former “Diocese of Aleppo, Alexandretta, and Dependencies” has been amended to “Diocese of Aleppo and Dependencies.”
