Church bells rang, horns blasted and firecrackers echoed throughout Lebanon as it was announced on March 15 that Bishop Bechara Rai of Jbeil, Lebanon, had been elected the new patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church. The Rev. Joseph Mouawad, vicar general of Jbeil, predicted that Patriarch Rai would begin a pastoral renewal of the church. “I think his first mission will be to confirm us in our faith here in Lebanon, and, as head of the church, he will try to unite Christians, the different parties, and to consolidate the communion among the Maronites,” Father Mouawad said. “He has a deep spirituality and he is very sociable and open to the others, and he has great courage. He says the truth even if someone doesn’t want to listen to it,” Father Mouawad said. “I think on a national level in Lebanon, he will work to conserve this country to be a country of conviviality of all religions—between Christian and Muslims.”
Maronite Catholics Elect New Patriarch
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Ron Hansen has written award-winning novels that have been turned into Hollywood hits. As an ordained deacon, he crafts equally compelling homilies.
The two high-profile Catholics are among a diverse group of 19 individuals to be honored by President Biden for making “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States.”
Speaking May 3 on the need for holistic higher education, the pope said that some universities are “too liberal” and do not place enough emphasis on forming their students into whole people.
Manifesting techniques abound in the online world. But creators are conflating manifesting with prayer, especially in their love lives.