Twenty one Roman-rite bishops belong to either the Maronite or Chaldean line. The reason for this departure from the norm has to do with the conferral of episcopal ordinations by two diplomats of the Holy See.

Father Antonin-Fernand Drapier, O.P., was serving in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) when he was named Titular Archbishop of Neocaesarea in Ponto and Apostolic Delegate to Mesopotamia. He chose to be consecrated in Mesopotamia by the Chaldean bishop of Amadiyah, François David, assisted by Syriac Archbishop Athanase George Cyrille Dallal of Mossul and Armenian Archbishop Jacques Nessimian of Mardin. On November 19, 1936 he was named Apostolic Delegate to Indochina and it was during his service there that he consecrated 9 bishops for Viêt Nâm and one for Laos. Of those ten bishops, two conferred episcopal ordination on other bishops and as those bishops consecrated others, the Chaldean line was continued in Viêt Nâm and Laos. Today we find nine bishops in Viêt Nâm and one bishop in Italy - a retired missionary bishop in Laos - in the Chaldean line begun there by Archbishop Drapier. They are:

*Etienne Nguyên Nhu Thê, Archbishop of Huê

*Pierre Nguyên Soan, Bishop of Quy Nhon

*Francois-Xavier Le Van Hong, Titular Bishop of Gadiaufala and Auxiliary of Huê

*Vincent Nguyên Van Ban, Bishop of Ban Mê Thuôt

*Jean Baptiste Bui Tuân, Bishop emeritus of Long Xuyên

*Joseph Ngô Quang Kiêt, Archbishop emeritus of Hà Nôi

*Joseph Trân Xuân Tiéu, Bishop of Long Xuyên

*Joseph Dang Duc Nang, Bishop of Lang Son et Cao Bang

*Laurent Chu Van Minh, Titular Bishop of Thinisa in Numidia and Auxiliary of Hà Nôi

*Alessandro Stacciioli, O.M.I., TItular Bishop of Tauriano, former Vicar Apostolic of Luang Probang and former Auxiliary of Siena-Colle di Val d Elsa-Montalcino.

Monsignor Paul Fouad Naïm Tabet, a member of the Holy See`s diplomatic service, was named Titular Archbishop of Sinna and Apostolic Nuncio to several countries in the Caribbean on 9 February 1980. Monsignor Tabet, a Maronite, was consecrated on 30 March 1980 in Lebanon by His Beatitude Antoine Pierre Khoraiche, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites and a future cardinal, assisted by two Maronite bishops: Bishop Chucrallah Harb of Jounieh and Bishop Roland Aboujaoudé, Titular Bishop of Arca in Phoenicia of the Maronites. Archbishop Tabet served in the Caribbean until he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria on 8 September 1984. He subsequently served in the Secretariate of State and as Apostolic Nuncio to Greece, retiring from the Holy See`s diplomatic service in early 2005.

During his service in the Caribbean, he consecrated three bishops and while in Nigeria he consecrated three more bishops. Two of the Caribbean bishops consecrated by him in turn consecrated other bishops and there are now eight living bishops of the Maronite line in the Caribbean and three in Nigeria. They are:

*Kelvin Edward Felix, Archbishop emeritus of Castries

*Edward Joseph Gilbert, C.Ss.R., Archbishop emeritus of Port of Spain

*Patrick Christopher Punder, Archbishop of Nassau

*Joseph Everard Harris, C.S.Sp., Archbishop of Port of Spain

*Gabriel Malzaire, Bishop of Roseau

*Francis Dean Alleyne, O.S.B., Bishop of Georgetown

*Charles Jason Gordon, Bishop of Bridgetown and of Kingstown

*Ernest Mesmin Lucien Cabo, Bishop emeritus of Basse Terre et Pointe-à-Pitre

*Joseph Effiong Ekuwem, Bishop of Oyo

*Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia

*Vincent Valentine Ezeonyia, Bishop of Aba