OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 28 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

-Approved the canonical election of the following prelates for the Synod of Bishops of the Church of Antioch of the Maronites, which met in Bkerké (Lebanon) from the 18th to the 24th of September 2005:

    -Fr. Georges Bou-Jaoudé, C.M., Superior of the Religious Order of Mejdlaya, as Archbishop of Tripoli of the Maronites (Catholics 101,350, priests 171,  religious 226) in Lebanon. The Archbishop elect was born in 1943 in Jouret El-Ballout (Lebanon), took his vows in 1966 and was ordained priest in 1968.

    -Fr. Elias Nassar, parish priest of Jezzine in the Eparchy of Saïd, as Bishop of Saïd of the Maronites (Catholics 83,000, priests 85, religious 80) in Lebanon. The Bishop elect was born in 1960 in Sarba (Lebanon), was ordained priest in 1990.

    -Fr. Abbott Simon Atallah, O.A.M., Superior of the Convent of Saint John in Ajaltoun (Lebanon), as Bishop of Baalbek - Deir El-Ahmar of the Maronites (Catholics 30,000, priests 14, religious 20, permanent deacons 2) in Lebanon. The Bishop elect was born in 1937 in Hemayri (Lebanon), took his vows in 1959 and was ordained priest in 1963.

    -Fr. Abbott François Eid, O.M.M., General Procurator of the Maronite Mariamite Order, as Bishop of Cairo of the Maronites (Catholics 5,003, priests 6, religious 3) in Egypt. The Bishop elect was born in 1943 in Mtolleh (Lebanon) and was ordained in 1971.

-Nominated Fr. Patrick K. Lynch, SS.CC. and Fr. Paul Hendricks, auxiliary Bishops of the Archdiocese of Southwark (area 3,000, population 404,890, Catholics 385,384, priests 393, religious 865, permanent deacons 78) in England. The Bishop elect Lynch was born in Cork City (Ireland) in 1947, took his vows in 1965, was ordained priest in 1972 and until today was the episcopal vicar for the religious persons and the parish priest in the same archdiocese. The Bishop elect Hendricks was born in Beckenham (England) in 1956, was ordained in 1984 and until today was a parish priest of Peckham (England).
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