THE POPE OF THE EAST: H.B. PATRIARCH GREGORIOS III His Beatitude was born in 1933 in Daraya (near the Syrian capital, Damascus) known as the place of St. Paul’s conversion. The young Lutfi (the name means kind) was accepted in 1943 into the seminary of the Salvatorian Fathers at the Monastery of the Holy Saviour near Saida (in southern Lebanon) where he completed his studies in philosophy and theology. He took temporary vows on 15 August 1949 and made his solemn profession on 20 January 1952. His superiors decided to send him in 1956 to Rome (Italy) to further his theological studies. In 1961, he received the title of Doctor in Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences from the Pontifical Oriental Institute run by the Jesuit Fathers. There he was ordained priest on 15 February 1959 at the Monastery of Grottaferrata (near Rome.)Back in Lebanon after finishing his doctorate in 1961, he was named Superior of the Major Seminary of his Order at Holy Saviour (1961-64); then at Jeita near Beirut (1966-1969.) During that period, he taught theology and liturgy at the Major Seminary and at the University of the Holy Spirit at Kaslik (near Beirut.) Inspired to work for Church unity, he founded in 1962 the review Unity in Faith. This was the first Arabic review dealing with ecumenical issues and problems. Then the Holy Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church named him Secretary of the Ecumenical Commission and of the Liturgical Commission. Further, in 1972 he was able to prepare in Beirut the first Liturgical Congress between the sister Churches (Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox) of the Patriarchate of Antioch. liqaa-lb/eng/people/The-Administration/H-B-Patriarch-Gregorios-III
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 06:45:53 +0000
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