Issam John Darwich

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Issam John Darwich BS , AM , also Issam John Darwish (born May 4, 1945 in Damascus , Syria ) is Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Zahlé and Furzol in Lebanon .

Life

Early years and education

Issam Darwich, his baptismal name is Johannes (en .: John), was born in Damascus as the son of Hanna Khoury Darwich and his wife Naayem, née Mayaleh. He joined the religious order of the Basilians of the Most Holy Redeemer , visited the colleague of the Holy Redeemer near Sidon from 1965 to 1972 and graduated from the Holy Spirit University Kaslik with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and theology . In 1971 he became a deacon ordained and received on 17 September 1972, the ordination by Archbishop Saba Youakim of Petra and Philadelphia .

Life in Lebanon

After his ordination he took on teaching activities at the School of the Holy Redeemer from 1972 to 1976. In 1972 he became chaplain and almsman of the "International Apostolic Movement for Children" (IMAC). From 1976 to 1978 he was director of an orphanage in Sidon and since 1977 he has founded several training centers for adults. In 1978 he became Regens of the colleague of the Holy Savior in Jounieh and took over the direction of the seminary and lay formation . In 1983 he was appointed director of the "Friendship Home" in Zahlé . In 1983 he founded and built St. Joseph High School in El Houch Omara . Between 1985 and 1996 he founded several educational and care facilities for young people, children and adults in Forzul , Zahlé and West-Bekaa .

From 1990 to 1996 he was an assessor in the Basilian-Salvatorian Chapter , and in 1990 he was elected to represent Lebanon in the International Office for Children. In 1995 he was elected to the International Committee for Adult Education in France and appointed Vicar General of the Basilians. In 1989 he was awarded the gold medal for services to education donated by Sheikh Boutros Harb by the Lebanese President Élias Hrawi .

Eparch from Australia and New Zealand

The Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church elected Issam John Darwich as Bishop of the Melkite Christians living in Australia. On August 4, 1995, the papal appointment took place as bishop of the eparchy Archangel Saint Michael in Sydney . He was ordained bishop on May 11, 1995 by the Patriarch of Antioch , Maximos V. Hakim ; As co-consecrators assisted Archbishop François Abou Mokh , auxiliary bishop in Antioch , and Archbishop Andre Haddad BS of Zahle and Furzol . The inauguration took place on June 2, 1996. In 1997 he was elected General Secretary of the Bishops' Conference. In 1999 Pope John Paul II extended the jurisdiction of the eparchy to New Zealand .

In 2003 Darwich established the “Australian Christian-Muslim Community”, following the tradition of the Melkite bishops who advocate interreligious dialogue . Also in 2003 he became a member of the “Episcopal Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Relations” of the Australian Bishops' Conference, and in 2009 his mandate was extended. He has been promoting public relations work for the Melkite Church in Australia and New Zealand since 2000 and was able to publish the first magazine in 2005. In 2009 he approved and published the statutes of the Archangel Saint Michael Eparchy in Sydney.

He was co-consecrator in the ordination of Bishop Sleiman Hajjars BS of Saint-Sauveur de Montréal in Canada .

As a participant in the special assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the subject of “Christians in the Middle East in October 2010 in Rome, he intervened in the final report. In three sections he first mentioned the good cooperation between the Christian churches in Australia and New Zealand, which come from Egypt , Sudan and Syria. He stated that the interreligious dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities was also showing good results. He then turned to the situation in the Middle East and stated that in the Middle East he recognized a great deal of intolerance among the Eastern Catholic Churches, especially among the clergy and the ecclesiastical administration . He recalled the words of Pope Benedict XIV : "The Church of Jesus Christ is not Latin, Greek or Slavic, but Catholic." He regrets that these words are not understood in this way by all clergy in the Middle East. Another critical remark was made The lack of communication of the Eastern Catholic Churches that it was superficial, leads very little to cooperation and is directed towards one's own advantage. Ultimately, he addressed the role of the laity , which must be better prepared for fraternal coexistence with other religious communities.

archbishop

The Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church elected Issam John Darwich on June 25, 2010 as Archbishop of Zahlé and Furzol. Pope Benedict XVI confirmed the election of the archbishop on June 15, 2011, and he was inducted into office on August 14, 2011.

Works

  • 2007 in Arabic: "وجه المسيح - رؤية من الشرق" ( de: "The face of Christ - A vision from the east")
  • 2007 "A Bridge for Unity", the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Australia.
  • 2009 "A journey with St. Paul".
  • 2010 "The Priest! Identity and Mission". (only in Lebanon)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ International Movement of Apostolate of Children ( Memento from August 4, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  2. ↑ Friendship Home - Salvatorian Social Center - Lebanon ( MS Word ; 41 kB)
  3. ↑ Intervention of Mons. Issam John DARWICH, Bishop of Saint Michael's of Sydney of the Greek-Melkites (AUSTRALIA) ( Vatican Radio )
  4. ^ A synod reflects denominational, political and social tensions in the Middle East Missio-Korrespondenz 4/2010, ZDB -ID 2170658-X
personal data
SURNAME Darwich, Issam John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Darwish, Issam John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Syrian clergyman, Archbishop of Zahlé and Furzol
DATE OF BIRTH May 4, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Damascus , Syria