Paul-Mounged El-Hachem (Arabic: بول منجد الهاشم; 8 September 1934 – 7 October 2022) was a Lebanese Maronite prelate of the Catholic Church. He worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See as apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, and as apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula. He headed the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Baalbek-Deir El Ahmar from 1995 to 2005.
Paul-Mounged El-Hachem | |
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Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula Titular Archbishop of Darnis | |
Church | Maronite Church |
Appointed | 27 August 2005 |
Term ended | 2 December 2009 |
Predecessor | Giuseppe De Andrea |
Successor | Petar Rajič |
Other post(s) | Titular Archbishop of Darnis (2005–2022) |
Previous post(s) | Eparch of Baalbek–Deir Al-Ahmar (Maronite) (1995–2005) |
Orders | |
Ordination | 28 March 1959 by Emile-Arsène Blanchet |
Consecration | 13 September 1995 by Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, Boutros Gemayel and Roland Aboujaoudé |
Personal details | |
Born | |
Died | 7 October 2022 | (aged 88)
Nationality | Lebanese |
Denomination | Catholic Church |
Styles of Paul-Mounged El-Hachem | |
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Reference style | |
Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Religious style | Archbishop |
Biography
editEl-Hachem was born on 8 September 1934 in Aqoura, Lebanon. He was ordained a priest of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch on 28 March 1959.[1] He worked for years in Lebanon.
El-Hachem studied at the seminary in Ghazir and went on to continue his education at Carmes Seminary in Paris. He had master's degrees in journalism, international studies, and social studies. He received a doctorate in theology and canon law from the Catholic University of Paris. He spoke Arabic, French, Italian, English, Syriac, Latin, Greek and Aramaic.[2]
Pope John Paul II awarded him on, 11 December 1978, an Honorific Chaplain of His Holiness.[3]
From 1967 to 1970, he served as director of the Arabic programs for Vatican Radio. From 1970 to 1978, he was an official of the Commission for Social Communications, vice-director for the Holy See Press Office. In 1974 he was appointed delegate in charge of the Vatican Film Library.[4]
From 1978 to 1995, El-Hachem worked at the Vatican Secretariat of State. From 1991 to 2004 he was a professor of Islamic law at the Pontifical Lateran University.[5]
On 30 October 1993 he was appointed head of the General Affairs Section of the Vatican Secretariat of State.[1][6]
On 10 June 1995, he was appointed bishop of the Eparchy of Baalbek-Deir El-Ahmar, succeeding Philippe Boutros Chebaya. The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, consecrated him as a bishop on 13 September 1995.[1][7] His co-consecrators were Boutros Gemayel, Archeparch of Cyprus and Roland Aboujaoudé, Auxiliary Bishop of Antioch.
On 27 August 2005, El-Hachem was appointed Titular Archbishop of Darnis and named apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen and Qatar and apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula.[1] On 4 August 2007 El-Hachem was appointed apostolic nuncio to the United Arab Emirates as well.[8]
El-Hachem retired when he was replaced in those positions on 2 December 2009.[9] He died on 7 October 2022, at the age of 88.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Rinunce e Nomine, 27.08.2005" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 27 August 2005. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ "Most Rev. Mounged El-Hachem Titular Archbishop of Darnis". Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ [Annuario Pontificio per l'anno 1982], Città del Vaticano 1982, S. 1775.
- ^ "Vatican web site". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "Christians and Muslims » "The West Needs to Better Understand Islam" – Retired Nuncio". christiansandmuslims.com. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "New Nuncio Named for Gulf States and Arabia". Zenit. 29 August 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "Vatican-Saudi talks on churches". BBC News. 18 March 2008.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 04.08.2007" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 4 August 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 02.12.2009" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 2 December 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- ^ "La morte dell'arcivescovo El-Hachem nunzio apostolico". L'Osservatore Romano. 8 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.