Youssef Sarrouf (website) was born in Damascus in 1742 and joined the Basilian Chouerite Order in 1756, as the only monk from Damascus. He took the name Ignatius after making his solemn vows on August 15, 1758. Ignatius was ordained as a deacon in 1764 and a priest in 1773. He spent five years in Damascus, where he gained recognition for his sermons and fundraising efforts for the patriarch. On July 8, 1778, Patriarch Theodosius V Dahan consecrated him as the metropolitan bishop of Beirut.
Bishop of Beirut During his tenure as the metropolitan bishop of Beirut, Youssef Sarrouf sought to reform the two Melkite monastic orders, particularly the Basilian Chouerite Order, from which he hailed and which had its headquarters in his diocese. The order’s discipline had become lax, and the monks, who managed many parishes, considered themselves almost beyond the authority of their own bishop. Sarrouf’s initial reform attempt in 1782 was rejected by the monks. His efforts to discipline the monasteries led to conflicts with many bishops, especially Germanos Adam, the bishop of Aleppo, who sided with the monks despite being outside his jurisdiction. An Apostolic Legate’s visit in 1784 resolved the issue temporarily, but it resurfaced in 1790, with Patriarch Athanasius IV Jawhar supporting Ignatius Sarrouf and Germanos Adam supporting the monks. Athanasius Jawhar’s death in 1794 left the issue unresolved.
In 1796, Ignatius Sarrouf founded his own monastic order, the Order of Saint Simeon Stylites near Baskinta, after realizing the impossibility of achieving disciplinary reform within the existing orders. The foundation was strongly contested by the Synod of Zouk Mikael in 1797, led by his opponents, Patriarch Agapius II Matar and Germanos Adam. Sarrouf accepted the synod’s resolution in obedience but appealed to Rome. Other disputes between Sarrouf and Patriarch Agapios II Matar included the creation of the new diocese of Gebail in 1798, which Sarrouf refused to relinquish. Rome confirmed the dissolution of the Order of Saint Simeon, the creation of the diocese of Gebail, and supported Sarrouf’s disciplinary reform efforts, although they ultimately proved unsuccessful.
In 1810, Youssef Sarrouf and three other bishops staunchly opposed the appointment of Maximos Mazloum, a student of Germanos Adam, as bishop of Aleppo by Patriarch Agapios II Matar.
Patriarch Following Agapios II Matar’s death, two candidates vied for the role of the new Patriarch: the young Maximos Mazloum, who was aligned with Germanos Adam and the previous patriarch Agapios II Matar, and the 70-year-old Ignatius Sarrouf, who had the support of missionaries and Aloisio Gandolfi, the Apostolic Legate of Syria. A compromise was reached, with Maximus Mazloum remaining as the seminary’s superior in Ain Traz, while Ignatius Sarrouf was elected Patriarch on February 12, 1812, and immediately confirmed by Rome. His reign was short-lived, as he was murdered by a Melkite layperson for unknown reasons on November 16, 1812. He was succeeded by Athanasius V Matar, the brother of the previous patriarch Agapios II Matar and a supporter of Mazloum’s party.
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