Maronite Catholic Patriarch Attends Reception Hosted by Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese

As part of his ongoing visit to the United States the head of the Maronite Catholic Church, Patriarch Beshara Rai of Antioch, has attended a reception in his honor hosted by Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America and attended by the Archdiocese's auxiliary bishops as well as several Maronite Catholic hierarchs and Muslim ulama (clergymen). More here.

Update (29/10/2011): The next day Metropolitan Philip, Metropolitan Mor Cyril (Karim) of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of the Eastern United States, and Antiochian Orthodox auxiliary Bishop Antoun (Khouri) of Miami attended the Sunday Liturgy celebrated by Patriarch Bechara at the Maronite Catholic cathedral in Brooklyn. More on that here.

Lebanon Debates General Security Directorate

As the new Lebanese government in formation struggles to distribute its ministerial portfolios a debate has erupted in Lebanon over whether the government's directorate for general security should go to the country's Shiite Muslim minority, which has held it for the last decade; the Maronite Catholics, who have traditionally headed the directorate; or the Antiochian Orthodox, who despite being Lebanon's fourth largest religion have never held any security-related ministries. More here.

Muslim-Christian Summit in Lebanon

Patriarchs Ignatios IV (Hazim) and Ignatios Zakka I (Iwas) of Antioch, Catholicos Aram I (Keshishian) of Sis, and other hierarchs of the Antiochian and Syriac Orthodox Churches have participated in a Christian-Muslim conference at the patriarchate of the Maronite Catholic Church in Bkerke, Lebanon, to discuss the growing divisions in Lebanese society. More here.

Maronite Catholic Patriarch Meets with Armenian Orthodox Catholicos in Lebanon

The new primate of the Maronite Catholic Church, Lebanon's largest Christian religious organization, has visited the seat of the catholicate of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon. More here.

Syriac Orthodox, Maronite Catholic Patriarchs Meet in Lebanon

Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatios Zakka I (Iwas) of Antioch continues his visit to Lebanon with a stop in Bkerke to congratulate the newly enthroned Maronite Catholic patriarch on his election. More here.

Maronites Nominate New Patriarch

The hierarchy of the Maronite Catholic Church has nominated Bishop Beshara Rai of Jubayl for appointment by the Vatican as Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites. The nomination has been greeted by jubilation in Lebanon and came after 6 days of deliberations. More here.

Maronite Catholic Holy Synod Meets to Elect New Patriarch

Following the belated acceptance by the Vatican of Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Cardinal Sfeir's resignation as head of the Maronite Catholic Church the Holy Synod of that church began meeting yesterday to nominate his successor, who must be confirmed by the Vatican to be enthroned as Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites. More here.

St. Maron

Again, a joyous feast! St. Maron is usually associated with the Maronite Catholic Church in Lebanon, which views him as its founder, but is in fact also a saint in our Orthodox Churches for and against Chalcedon. He lived as a hermit in the mountains near Antioch where he was renowned for his asceticism and holiness and even met with St. John Chrysostom, who asked for his prayers.

St. Maron's disciples were initially centered in northern Syria, but came to be concentrated on and around Mount Lebanon. Today the Maronite Catholic Church claims to have always been in communion with Rome, but in reality it is more likely that St. Maron's followers either went into schism or heresy, electing their own patriarchs of Antioch until submitting to Rome during the Crusades.

More on St. Maron's life can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!

Maronite Catholic Patriarch Appeals to Rome for Retirement

In a statement released earlier this week it was announced that Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Cardinal Sfeir of the Maronite Catholic Church, the largest Eastern Catholic organization in Lebanon, submitted his resignation to the Vatican two months ago. As the Maronite Catholic Church is submitted to Rome, although it is technically recognized as an autocephalous, self-governing sister church by Rome in practice its primate needs the approval of the Vatican to resign, just as he needs papal approval to be enthroned.

The Vatican is hesitating in accepting the 91-year old patriarch's retirement because of the mandatory retirement of six Maronite Catholic hierarchs over the summer and the upcoming mandatory retirement of two more this spring. Cardinal Sfeir, who has served as head of the Maronite Catholic Church since 1986, says that he is tired of dealing with the difficult political situation in Lebanon and needs rest. More here.