MARONITE MAGAZINE

Maronite Patriarch of Antioch & the Whole Levant
Biography of the New Maronite Patriarch
+Bechara Boutros (Peter) El-Rahi
H e w a s b o r n i n H i m l a y a ( t h e v i l l a g e o f S t . R a f q a ) , M a t n D i s t r i c t i n M o u n t
Lebanon on 25 February 1940. He attended College Notre-Dame de
J a m h o u r, a J e s u i t s c h o o l i n L e b a n o n . H e e n t e r e d i n t h e M a r i a m i t e
M a r o n i t e O r d e r a n d p r o f e s s e d h i s r e l i g i o u s v o w s o n J u l y 3 1 , 1 9 6 2 a n d h e w a s
o r d a i n e d a s a p r i e s t o n 3 S e p t e m b e r 1 9 6 7 . F r o m 1 9 6 7 t o 1 9 7 5 h e h a s b e e n t h e
r e s p o n s i b l e o f t h e A r a b i c l a n g u a g e t r a n s m i s s i o n s o f
Va t i c a n R a d i o .
H e w a s c o n s e c r a t e d a s a u x i l i a r y b i s h o p o f A n t i o c h o n 1 2 J u l y 1 9 8 6 , b y
P a t r i a r c h N a s r a l l a h B o u t r o s S f e i r a n d o n J u n e 9 , 1 9 9 0 , h e w a s
appointed bishop of Byblos. In 2003 he was elected Secretary of the
Maronite Synod, and in 2009 he was appointed President of the
L e b a n e s e E p i s c o p a l C o m m i s s i o n f o r t h e M e d i a .
L a s t m o n t h , P o p e B e n e d i c t X V I a c c e p t e d t h e r e s i g n a t i o n o f S f e i r w h o h a d s a i d h e r e s i g n e d t o a l l o w f o r a “ y o u n g e r
b i s h o p ” t o a s s u m e t h e
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y. T h e S y n o d o f b i s h o p s g a t h e r e d i n a s p i r i t u a l c o n c l a v e i n B k e r k e l a s t We d n e s d a y i n i s o l a t i o n f r o m
t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d t o e l e c t t h e n e w p a t r i a r c h .
A t 7 1 , A l - R a h i w a s e l e c t e d P a t r i a r c h o f t h e M a r o n i t e s o n M a r c h 1 5 , 2 0 11 , a f t e r g e t t i n g m o r e t h a n t w o - t h i r d s o f t h e
v o t e s o f t h e 3 9 b i s h o p s , s u c c e e d i n g P a t r i a r c h C a r d i n a l N a s r a l l a h B o u t r o s S f e i r. H e i s k n o w n a s a
moderate with good relations with all Lebanese factions.
The Mass for the inauguration of his patriarchate will be on March 25, 2011, in Bkerke, the See of the
M a r o n i t e C a t h o l i c P a t r i a r c h a t e . A s i s c u s t o m f o r a l l M a r o n i t e p a t r i a r c h s R a h i t o o k B o t r o u s ( P e t e r ) w h o w a s b r i e f l y
h e l d t h e s e e o f A n t i o c h b e f o r e m o v i n g t o R o m e t o b e c o m e b i s h o p t h e r e . B e c h a r a B o u t r o s a l - R a h i i s t h e 7 7 t h
M a r o n i t e P a t r i a r c h o f A n t i o c h . H i s o f f i c i a l m o t t o a s a P a t r i a r c h i s : P a r t n e r s h i p a n d L o v e .