www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Top ten middle eastern christians

Dear all,
Here at the media group I work for we are preparing a special package of interviews and reports on the upcoming Synod of Middle Eastern Bishops.

One of the things I want to do is include a list of ten prominent middle eastern christians, not necessarily catholic.

I have 9 names on my list for now. I would appreciate input, opinions and suggestions!

Bare in mind that these are not necessarily clerics, nor are they necessarily in order of importance

1 Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
2 Teófilo III, Patriarca Ortodoxo-Grego de Jerusalém
3 Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
4 Pope Shenouda III of the Copts
5 Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of the Chaldeans
6 Nasrallah Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronites
7 Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox
8 Michel Suleiman, President of Lebanon (highest ranking Christian politician in the ME)
9 Bhoutros Bhoutros Ghali, former Secretary General of the U.N.
10 ?

Other ideas? Am I forgetting someone?

Gregorios III, Patriarch of Antioch, Jerusalem and All the East?

His Grace Elias (Chacour), Bishop of Haifa and all Galilee.

Fairuz?

Ditch Boutros Squared. Nobody associated with the United Nations has any moral credibility at all. Now you have room for both Patriarch Gregorios and Bishop Elias.

2 Teófilo III, Patriarca Ortodoxo-Grego de Jerusalém
3 Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

They're both Greek. Nobody's dissing them based on ethnicity, but save for Patriarch Bartholomew (who is of Turkish nationality), Theophilos is a reason why there is conflict between the Orthodox of Arab and Greek descents.

Instead, you could go for Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim), the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.

Add that on to Archbishop Elias Chacour and Patriarch Gregorios III and you might have something solid.

- Archbishop Theodosios/Atallah Hanna of Sebastia - currently the only Arab bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

- Archbishop Hilarion Capucci - Patriarchal Vicar Emeritus of Jerusalem - Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate.

For what it's worth: surely the Ecumenical Patriarch is European, as distinct from Middle Eastern? Fun place, Constantinople.

Fr. Serge

Filipe, my brother,

I have to admit being unable to get excited about the Latin Patriarch. Archbishop Hilarion Capucci certainly falls into the category of folks who have been controversial.

I'm inclined toward #3-#7, plus Patriarch Gregorios. I'd add Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan (Syriac Catholic), as he's the newest.

I can't remember just how broad-reaching the descriptor "ME" is being used in this context. I think it's including the Malabar and Malankara. If so, I'd add the primatial hierarch of at least 1 of those, if not both. Likewise the Armenians, if they are within the scope of it; if they aren't I'd go with either the Ethiopian Tewahado Patriarch (controversial) or the Ethiopian Catholic Major Archbishop. (I'm really disinclined to not see any one Church not represented, whether it be by the EC/OC or EO/OO.)

Many years,

Neil

Tariq Aziz, a Chaldean and Deputy Prime Minister to Saddam Hussein, for his purported role in protecting the Christian minority in Iraq during Saddam's reign.

Amado

Or perhaps for his manifold war crimes committed as an accomplice to one of the most murderous regimes since the end of the Second World War? Also, I seriously doubt Aziz protected all Christians. Saddam deliberately elevated the Chaldean Catholics from among other Christians (e.g., the Assyrian Church of the East, Roman Catholics, and a smattering of Protestants) in order to have a minority group entirely dependent on the regime, whose unflagging support they had no alternative but to give. I would chalk up a lot of the problems facing Christians in Iraq to the unfortunate identification of the Chaldeans with the Ba'athists.

The lesson being not only "Do not put your trust in princes", but also "A Christian war criminal is still a war criminal".

Thank you everybody for your suggestions.

Since posting I had also thought of Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the franciscan custodian.

Neil: I am not sure if the synod itself will focus on Índia and Ethiopia, for example, and I doubt it... but we will only be focusing on the Middle East as geographically defined. This is why I included Bartholomew I, as he is definately the most prominent cleric in Turkey.

I included the greek patriarch of Jerusalem not based on any personal liking but because of the importance of the patriarchate in the Holy Land, not least due to land ownership...
As for the Latin Patriarch, he is the highest ranking Latin Catholic in the area, and would seem an obvious choice.

Bhoutros Ghali, his UN connections notwhithstanding, is probably the most famous copt of recent times, I think I should keep him in. He also adds the element of surprise, as you can almost hear people thinking "Really? He was a Christian?".

As for Tariq Aziz... I would include him if he was still in power, but wouldn't ascribe much importance to him nowdays.

Geographically Armenia is not in the Middle East, but it pains me not to mention the armenians at all, as they are so important in the region. Who would be the most significant armenian cleric in the MIddle East? Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem?

The truth is there really is no reason to make it only 10 people, I could notch it up to 15 and therefore not have to cut anybody out.

Filipe

I would say the most significant Armenian hierarch in the Middle East is the Catholicos of Cilicia.

Looking at what Boutros Boutros Ghali did as Secretary General, I'm still asking myself that question.


I believe Joachim von Ribbentrop was born Roman Catholic, but I would not include him among the best in breed simply because he was foreign minister of Germany under a former Austrian housepainter, who, if memory serves me, was also nominally Catholic. Josip Vissarionovich Dzougashvili was an Orthodox seminarian, but I doubt he is well remembered among the Orthodox faithful because of it. Christian is as Christian does, not as "was born".

Is there an Ethiopian Catholic "Major Archbishop"? If so, who is he and when did this happen?

Fr. Serge