Joseph Al-Zehlaoui

Joseph Al-Zehlaoui (born Yusuf Al-Zehlaoui on November 2, 1950) is a former bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and was the Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America from July 3, 2014, until his retirement on September 17, 2022, and subsequent defrocking.

In October 2023, Al-Zehlaoui sued the archdiocese for millions of dollars. On March 14, 2024, in response to the lawsuit and for refusal to vacate the Los Angeles chancery belonging to the archdiocese, he was defrocked by the Holy Synod of Antioch.

Early years
Joseph G. Al-Zehlaoui or Joseph Zehlaoui (in Arabic جوزيف زحلاوي) was born on November 2, 1950, in Damascus, Syria to Georgi and Mathil (Baghdan) Al-Zehlaoui. After receiving his elementary education at the St. John of Damascus and Al-Assiyeh schools in Damascus, and his secondary education at Balamand Monastery in Koura, Northern Lebanon, he studied philosophy at Lebanese University in Beirut and theology, languages and music at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Greek.

He was ordained to the diaconate while a student in Salonica, in December 1976. Subsequently, he was ordained to the priesthood by Patriarch Ignatius IV, at St. Mary Cathedral in Damascus in December, 1980. As a deacon, he served parishes in Thessaloniki. As a priest, he was dean of St. Mary Cathedral of Damascus, and overseer of the Holy Cross Church and other parishes in the suburbs of Damascus. In 1983, he pastored the Antiochian Orthodox followers living in London, England, and, in 1986, the Antiochian Orthodox community living in Cyprus.

He was elected to the episcopate on May 5, 1991, and consecrated on June 30, 1991, in the Holy Cathedral of the Patriarchate in Damascus with the title Bishop of Katana, Syria.

During his clerical ministry, he served as General Supervisor and Professor of Religious Education at the Al-Assiyeh Orthodox College and supervised the Patriarchal headquarters in Damascus. Besides being the Patriarchal Assistant during the past several years, Bishop Joseph served as the secretary to the Holy Synod of Antioch, Editor-in-Chief of the Patriarchal Bulletin and participated in several theological conferences in Greece, Texas, US, and Australia.

Service in the United States
At the request of Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of New York, Al-Zehlaoui was selected by the Holy Synod of Antioch on January 24, 1995, to be an auxiliary bishop for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

Starting September 12, 2004, he was appointed as the first bishop of the Holy Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, enthroned by Metropolitan Philip and the Local Holy Synod of the Archdiocese.

Following the death of Antiochian Orthodox Metropolitan Philip Saliba (1966–March 19, 2014), the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East convened on July 3, 2014, at the Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery in Northern Lebanon and elected Joseph at its meeting as metropolitan of North America.

Allegations of misconduct, retirement, and laicization
On August 25, 2022, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America posted a statement on their website announcing that an independent legal team was investigating an accusation claiming Metropolitan Joseph had violated the canons of the church by having had a "long-time erotic affair" with a woman. On August 28, 2022, Patriarch John X of Antioch acknowledged the accusations and assured the church that appropriate actions would be taken quickly. Metropolitan Joseph issued a message to the American Archdiocese for the Ecclesiastical New Year but had made no public acknowledgement of the accusations as of September 1, 2022. As a result of the controversy, on September 17, 2022, Archbishop Joseph announced his request to retire as Metropolitan, while continuing to deny the allegations. On October 16, 2023, Al-Zehlaoui filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese; while he had denied the affair allegations in other contexts, he did not address or dispute the allegations in the legal filing, and he alleges that the Archdiocese failed to provide him with promised retirement benefits including a salary and severance package.

Title
Al-Zehlaoui's former title was His Eminence, the Most Reverend Joseph, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, Primate.

Following his laicization on March 14, 2024, he no longer holds any clerical title.