Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Patriarch emeritus of Antioch for Syrians, was born on 18 September 1930 in Meskaneh, Syria. 

He was ordained on 17 October 1954 and holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome.

On 2 July 1977 he was elected by the Syrian Patriarchal Synod as Bishop of Cairo, Egypt, and confirmed by Pope Paul VI on 22 July 1977. He was ordained on 18 September. 

He was a member of the Commission for the Revision of the Eastern Code of Canon Law and chaired the commission that translated the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches into Arabic.

On 1 July 1994 he was promoted to Archbishop of Homs for Syrians, Syria.

On 13 October 1998 he was elected Patriarch of Antioch for Syrians and enthroned on 25 October. On 20 October 1998 he obtained the ecclesiastica communio.

Patriarch emeritus of Antioch for Syrians, resigned 8 January 2001.

From 25 November 2000 until 9 June 2007 he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Oriental Institute.

He participated in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by St. John Paul II in the consistory of 21 February 2001.

Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, died on 7 April 2012.