Blessed Flavianus Michael Malke
Syriac Catholic bishop of Gazireh, martyred in 1915
- Rank
- Blessed
- Kind
- Bishop, Martyr
- Life
- 1858 – 1915
- Era
- 20th century
- Feast
- 29 August
- Countries
- Türkiye
Life story
He was born Jacob (Ya'qūb) Melki in 1858 at Qal'at Mara, near Mardin, in the Ottoman Empire, now south-eastern Turkey. He entered the Syriac Catholic clergy and took the name Flavianus Michael. He was ordained a priest in 1883 and served in the villages of Tur Abdin.
On 19 January 1913 he was consecrated bishop of the diocese of Gazireh (Gazarta, now Cizre) in the Syriac Catholic Church. Only two years later, amid the upheavals of the First World War, Christian communities in this region, including Syriacs, Assyrians and Armenians, were deported and massacred.
Accounts say he was arrested on 28 August 1915 together with the Chaldean bishop Philippe-Jacques Abraham, was pressed to renounce his faith in order to live, and refused. He was killed on 29 August 1915 at Gazarta. On 8 August 2015 Pope Francis authorised the decree recognising that he died for the faith. The beatification took place on 29 August 2015 in Harissa, Lebanon, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato. His memorial is 29 August.
Works and witness
- Syriac Catholic bishop of Gazireh from 1913
- Remained with his diocese during the turmoil of 1915
- Killed on 29 August 1915 after refusing to renounce his faith
- Decree recognising his martyrdom authorised in 2015
- Beatified at Harissa, Lebanon, in 2015
Saints from the same country
References
- Pope Francis, decree on the martyrdom of Flavianus Michael Malke, 8 August 2015 (Vatican)
- Syriac Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, biography of Bishop Malke
- Martyrologium Romanum
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.