Anthony Peter Khoraish

His Beatitude
 Anthony III Peter Khoraish
(أنطونيوس الثالث بطرس خريش)
Patriarch of Antioch
Church Maronite Church
See Patriarch of Antioch
Elected February 3, 1975
Reign ended April 3, 1986
Predecessor Cardinal Paul Peter Meouchi
Successor Cardinal N. P. Sfeir
Orders
Ordination April 11, 1930 (Priest)
Consecration October 15, 1950 (Bishop)
by Anthony Peter Arida
Created Cardinal February 2, 1983
Personal details
Born September 20, 1907(1907-09-20)
Ain Ebel, Lebanon
Died August 19, 1994(1994-08-19) (aged 86)
Beirut

Cardinal Anthony III Peter Khoraish (1907–1994), (or Antonios Boutros Khoraish, Antoine Pierre Khreich, Khraish, Khoraiche, Arabic: أنطونيوس الثالث بطرس خريش‎), was the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and the Whole Levant from 1975 until his resignation in 1986, and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He died on August 19, 1994.

Contents

Biography

Anthony Khoraish was born on September 20, 1907 in Ain Ebel, a small village in the south of Lebanon.[1] He was a distinguished student at the local primary school in the village, and his devoutness to his faith lead him at the age of 13 to Rome where he began his philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana University. He received his doctorate in philosophy at the age of 16 and returned to Beirut, Lebanon where he continued his post-doctoral theological studies at the Université Saint-Joseph.

Priesthood

He was ordained as priest at the Cathedral of Tyre in South Lebanon on April 11, 1930 where he also taught at the local Catholic school. From 1930-1940, he was also a faculty member of Sagesse School in Beirut, patriarchal vicar of Palestine and president of the Maronite tribunal in the Holy Land. He was appointed vicar general of the archdiocese of Tyre of the Maronites, and served there from 1940-1950.[2]

Episcopate

On April 25, 1950 Pope Pius XII appointed him auxiliary bishop of Sidon of the Maronites, and Titular Bishop of Tarsous of the Maronites, and on October 15, 1950 he was consecrated as such by Patriarch Anthony Peter Arida.[1][2] On November 25, 1957, he was appointed Bishop of Sidon of the Maronites. As bishop, he attended the Second Vatican Council. He became administrator delegate of the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Maronites in 1974. He was also episcopal delegate for the Maronite seminaries and president of the executive commission of the Inter-ritual Assembly of Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon.[2]

Patriarchate

He was elected Patriarch of Antioch and All the East on February 3, 1975, following the death of the previous patriarch. As Patriarch, he attended the IV Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops in Vatican City on September 30, 1977. During his Patriarchate, the blessed Charbel Makhlouf was declared Saint of the Universal Church in an imposing ceremony at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome on October 9, 1977.

Cardinalate

On February 2, 1983, he was the second Lebanese to be created Cardinal. As Cardinal, he attended the VI Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops in Vatican City on September 29, 1983.[2] Sister Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès (also known as Saint Rafka), a Lebanese nun of Hamlaya, was declared Blessed at Saint Peter’s Basilica on November 17, 1985.

On April 3, 1986, he resigned as Maronite Patriarch of Antioch. He died on August 19, 1994 in Beirut and was buried at the see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate in Bkerké, Lebanon.

References

Preceded by
Paul Peter Meouchi
Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch
1975-1986
Succeeded by
Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir