St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Chaldean Catholic Diocese of Aleppe) Syrian Cathedral (Syrian Catholic Archdiocese of Damas) Syrian popes Seven popes from Syria ascended the papal throne, many of them lived in Italy, Pope Gregory III, was previously the last pope to have been born outside Europe until the election of Francis in 2013. See also Syriac Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches List of Syrian popes List of Saints from Asia References GCatholic.org Catholic-Hierarchy External links Profile of the Catholic church in Syria