Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

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.”

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Pope Francis greets Professor Joseph Stiglitz at the "Debt Crisis in the Global South" meeting at the Vatican in June 2024 (Vatican Media)
An interview on economics and Catholic social teaching with Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winning economist and a professor at Columbia University.
Kevin ClarkeApril 03, 2025
Lesson one: I had to buy more stamps.
Valerie SchultzApril 03, 2025
Celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea should give new energy to evangelization efforts, a new document from the International Theological Commission says.
In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walk us through the pontiff’s recovery, including “slight improvements” in his speech.
Inside the VaticanApril 03, 2025