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The Syriac Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement Thursday that a gathering of the Eastern Church’s synod had already been called by the Church’s patriarch, before bishops called for a special session to vote on removing the patriarch.

The statement followed speculation that Patriarch Ignace Youssif III Younan had moved to convene the synod of the Eastern Church in response to a move by Syriac bishops to remove him, the first use of a new law issued last month by Leo XIV to create a mechanism for removing an Eastern patriarch.

The September 17 statement, released in multiple languages via the patriarchate’s website, said it was necessary to “refute all past and potential future writings, rumors, claims, fabrications, and lies that mislead public opinion and distort facts that are as clear as day.”

The patriarchate’s statement did not indicate what “fabrications and lies” it was aiming to refute, but indicated the prospect of future legal action, presumably against media outlets and social media posts covering the escalating tension within the Eastern Catholic Syriac Church.

The statement explained

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