Georges Bacaouni

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Georges Baccouni (2012)

Georges Bacaouni , also Georges Bakhouni or Bacouni (born May 16, 1962 in Ain el-Roummaneh in Lebanon ), is Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Beirut and Jbeil .

Church vita

Georges Bacaouni was ordained a diocesan priest on July 30, 1995 by Archbishop Habib Bacha SMSP of Beirut and Jbeil . On June 22, 2005 he was appointed to succeed Jean Assaad Haddad as Archbishop of Tire in Lebanon and on November 27, 2005 by the Patriarch of Antioch , Gregory III. Laham BS , and the co-consecrators Archbishop Jean Assaad Haddad (its predecessor) and Archbishop Joseph Kallas SMSP of Beirut and Jbeil for consecrated bishop .

Patriarch Gregory III appointed him on June 21, 2014. Laham in accordance with the Melkite Synod as Archbishop of Akka . The inauguration took place on August 5th of the same year. On November 9th, Patriarch Joseph I Absi appointed him Archbishop and Metropolitan of Beirut and Jbeil in accordance with the Synod .

On the shortage of priests and celibacy

In an interview on the question of the shortage of priests and celibacy , Bacaouni expressed his astonishment at the Roman Catholic Church , which had not learned any lessons from the experiences of the Eastern Churches with married priests . Its key message was: "Christianity survived in the Middle East because of married priests". Regarding the situation in his diocese , he said that there are 12 priests working in his 10 parishes , eight of whom are married and four priests are unmarried. His conclusion is that celibacy for priests in the Latin rite has always been defined as church discipline and not theological or spiritual . After all, the exemplary life of the married or celibate priests in their communities, the knowledge of theology, the proclamation of the Gospel and the celebration of the sacraments are most important for him.

On the situation of Christians in Lebanon

In a conversation with "Asianews" the Archbishop of Tire said that Christians had become a minority in their own country . Since 1970, he noted, the proportion of Christians in the Lebanese population has steadily decreased. This has the consequence that the pressure of the Muslims leads to a constant emigration of Christians. "They (the Christians) feel an increasing alienation from their own country," said Archbishop Bacaouni. He therefore called on the Church “to encourage Christians by living a believable life according to the Gospels and by proclaiming the Word of God”.

To the Middle East

As a delegate to the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East in October 2010, he gave an opinion on the final bulletin. He underlined that the problems of Christians in Jordan did not describe a new situation. But, he emphasizes, it must be possible to keep the young people in their home countries. And in order to achieve this, the clergy and the episcopate must make massive efforts.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dalle Chiese Orientali Cattoliche , Appointment Archbishop of Akka, in: Holy See Press Office, Daily Bulletin of June 21, 2014
  2. ↑ Trasferimento del Vescovo di Akka (Israele) alla Sede di Bairut e Jbeil (Lebanon). In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, November 24, 2018, accessed November 25, 2018 (Italian).
  3. ^ A Lebanese archbishop's practical argument for married priests, in: cnsblog-Wordpress of November 7, 2010 [1]
  4. ↑ Archbishop of Tire: "Christians have become a minority in their own country", in: Katholisches Magazin für Kirche und Kultur [2]
  5. ↑ Intervention of Mons. Georges BACOUNI, Archbishop of Tyr of the Greek-Melkites (LEBANON) [3]
personal data
SURNAME Bacaouni, Georges
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bakhouni, Georges; Bacouni, Georges
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lebanese clergyman, Melkite Archbishop of Beirut and Jbeil
DATE OF BIRTH May 16, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Ain el-Roummaneh , Lebanon