His election was supported by both the bishops partisans of Mazloum's line and by Archbishop Paolo Brunoni, a Cypriot who was the Apostolic Legate of Syria.
The same electoral synod, having in mind the last authoritative years of Maximos Mazloum, issued decrees to limit the patriarchal authority.
Clement Bahouth was docile to the demand of Archbishop Paolo Brunoni[5] to Latinize the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Without consulting other Melkite bishops, in January 1857 he introduced the Gregorian Calendar in place of the Julian Calendar to promote conformity with the uses of the Latin Rite as well as of the Maronites and of the Syriac Catholic Church; that act caused some discontent within the Melkite Church, and the opposition was led by the Archbishop of Beirut, Agapis Riyasi, the same who led the opposition against Maximos Mazloum some years before.
This schism, notwithstanding the funds given by Russia to build churches, ended after a few years, and never numbered more than five thousand adherents.