The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch ( ; ; ) al-Kanīsa al-Anṭākiyya al-Suryāniyya al-Mārūniyya is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Pope, Bishop of Rome. It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Marun, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, Saint John Maron, was elected in the late 7th century. It is currently headed by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, headquartrered in Bkerké, Lebanon, who was also appointed Cardinal in November 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI.