Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis

Last updated


Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis
Apostolic Nuncio to United Arab Emirates
Titular Archbishop of Rusellae
Appointed3 January 2023
Predecessor Francisco Montecillo Padilla
Other post(s) Titular Archbishop of Rusellae
Orders
Ordination21 May 1994
by  Khalil Abi-Nader
Consecration19 January 2019
by  Pietro Parolin, Dominique Mamberti and Paul Youssef Matar
Personal details
Born (1968-08-24) 24 August 1968 (age 54)
Nationality Lebanese
Denomination Roman Catholic Church
Previous post(s)
MottoScis Domine, quia amo te
Coat of arms Escudo de Cristophe Zekiah El Kassis.svg
Ordination history of
Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained by Archbishop Khalil Abi-Nader
Date21 May 1994
Place Maronite Cathedral of Saint George, Beirut
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecrator Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Co-consecrators Cardinal Dominique Mamberti
Archbishop Paul Youssef Matar
Date19 January 2019
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis as principal consecrator
Khalid Rehmat, O.F.M. Cap. 2021
Yousaf Sohan, O.F.M. Cap. 2023
Styles of
Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis
Escudo de Cristophe Zekiah El Kassis.svg
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Archbishop

Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis (born 24 August 1968 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Lebanese Catholic bishop, diplomat, and Maronite archbishop. [1] He currently serves as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United Arab Emirates.

Contents

Life

El-Kassis graduated utroque iure, doctorate in both civil law and church law. He received the sacrament of Holy Orders on 21 May 1994. He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 19 June 2000, and has served in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Indonesia, the Sudan and Turkey. From 2007 until 2018, he served at the Foreign Relations office of the Secretariat of State in the Holy See.

He is fluent in Lebanese, Arabic, French, Italian, English, Indonesian, Spanish, and German [2]

On 24 November 2018 Pope Francis appointed him as Titular Archbishop of Rusellae and named him Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan. [3] He received his episcopal consecration in St. Peter Basilica on 19 January 2019 from Cardinal Pietro Parolin as Principal Consecrator, who was accompanied by Cardinal Dominique Mamberti and Archbishop Paul Youssef Matar. [4]

On 3 January 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United Arab Emirates. He is to be the first nuncio who will be a resident in the Nunciature in Abu Dhabi which was opened in February 2022. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic nunciature</span> Official diplomatic representation of the Holy See

An apostolic nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See that is equivalent to an embassy. However, it neither issues visas nor has consulates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Coveney</span> Irish prelate of the Catholic Church (1934–2022)

Patrick Coveney was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1966 to 2009. He became an archbishop in 1985 and fulfilled several assignments as Apostolic Nuncio, including stints in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, New Zealand, and Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pietro Sambi</span>

Pietro Sambi was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1969 until his death in 2011. He had the rank of archbishop and the title of nuncio from 1985, fulfilling assignments in Burundi, Indonesia, Cyprus, Israel, Jerusalem and Palestine, and the United States.

The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Ireland. It is located in Dublin. The position of Apostolic Nuncio is currently Luis Mariano Montemayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain</span> Diplomatic post of the Holy See

The Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain is the diplomatic office of the Holy See in Great Britain. It is headed by the Apostolic Nuncio, who has the rank of an ambassador. The parties agreed to exchange representatives at the ambassadorial levelin and Pope John Paul II erected the Nunciature to Great Britain on 17 January 1982. Before then, the interests of the Holy See in Great Britain had been represented by an Apostolic Delegate since 1938, though not granted diplomatic status until 1979. The decision to designate the nuncio to Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom reflected the complex and frequently antagonistic relationship between the Holy See and the British crown since they severed ties in the sixteenth century. British government sources said it had been agreed that the nuncio in London would concern himself with matters in England, Scotland and Wales, while the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, based in Dublin, would have within his purview the entire island of Ireland.

The Holy See has long been recognised as a subject of international law and as an active participant in international relations. One observer has stated that its interaction with the world has, in the period since World War II, been at its highest level ever. It is distinct from the city-state of the Vatican City, over which the Holy See has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriele Giordano Caccia</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church

Gabriele Giordano Caccia is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has worked in the offices of the Secretariat of State and served as Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon and the Philippines. He was named Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in 2019.

The Apostolic Nunciature to Pakistan is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Pakistan. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Nugent</span> Irish Roman Catholic prelate (born 1959)

Eugene Martin Nugent is an Irish Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Apostolic Nuncio to Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar since January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Peña Parra</span> Venezuelan Roman Catholic archbishop (born 1960)

Edgar Robinson Peña Parra is a Venezuelan Roman Catholic archbishop. Pope Francis named him Substitute for the Secretariat of State on 15 August 2018, effective 15 October, making him the highest ranking Venezuelan in the Roman Curia. He joined the diplomatic corps of the Holy See in 1993, serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan from 2011 to 2015 and to Mozambique from 2015 to 2018. He is the first Venezuelan to serve as an Apostolic Nuncio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julio Murat</span> Turkish prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1961)

Julio Murat is a Turkish prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Fitzpatrick Russell</span> American Catholic archbishop (born 1959)

Paul Fitzpatrick Russell is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in May 2022. He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan and the head of the diplomatic mission to Taiwan. In accordance with those roles, he has the personal title of archbishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliusz Janusz</span> Polish prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1944)

Juliusz Janusz is a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church who has spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has been an archbishop and held the position of Apostolic Nuncio from 1995 until he retired in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisco-Javier Lozano Sebastián</span> Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1943)

Francisco-Javier Lozano Sebastián is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who has spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has been an archbishop since 1994 and held the title of Apostolic Nuncio to several countries until his resignation in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Thévenin</span> French bishop and Vatican diplomat

Nicolas Thevenin is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has been Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt since 2019.

Félix del Blanco Prieto was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, including stints heading the missions in countries such as Angola and Malta among other countries. He was then appointed Almoner of the office of Papal Charities in 2007 and retired from the same position in 2012.

The Apostolic Nunciature to United Arab Emirates is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in United Arab Emirates. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. The Apostolic Nuncio to United Arab Emirates was also the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and resided in Kuwait City until 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Canalini</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1936)

Francesco Canalini is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

References

  1. Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis on catholic-hierarchy.org
  2. Vatican press office Accessed 4 December 2018
  3. Nomina del Nunzio Apostolico in Pakistan. In: Daily Bulletin. Press Office of the Holy See, 24 November 2018, retrieved on 24 November 2018 (Italian)
  4. Catholic Hierarchy Accessed 26 January 2019
  5. "Resignations and Appointments, 03.01.2023" . Retrieved 3 January 2023.
Catholic Church titles
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan
24 November 2018 – 3 January 2023
Vacant
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to United Arab Emirates
3 January 2023 to Present
Incumbent