| George Rizqallah Beseb'ely (جرجس الثاني رزق الله البسبعلي) |
|
|---|---|
| Patriarch of Antioch | |
| Church | Maronite Church |
| See | Patriarch of Antioch |
| Elected | January 1, 1657 |
| Reign ended | April 12, 1670 |
| Predecessor | John Bawab Safrawy |
| Successor | Estephan El Douaihy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1595 Beseb'el, Lebanon |
| Died | April 12, 1670 |
George II Rizqallah Beseb'ely (or Jirjis al-Basba'li, Beseb'ely, Arabic: جرجس الثاني رزق الله البسبعلي, Latin: Georgius Sebelensis), was the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch from 1657 to his death in 1670.
George Beseb'ely was born in the village of Beseb'el (from which his surname came), near Tripoli, Lebanon, in about 1595, son of Hadj Rizqallah.
After the death of Patriarch Safrawy happened on December 23, 1656, the bishops elected as patriarch the monk George Habquq, who anyway for humility refused and escaped in a cave of the Kadisha Valley to live as an hermit. So a second election was held and on January 1, 1657 the Archbishop George Beseb'ely was elected patriarch. His election was confirmed by Pope Alexander VII on May 26, 1659, and he received the pallium on August 30, 1660.[1]
George Beseb'ely used, as his predecessor, to live in a monastery subject to the strict discipline of the monks. During his patriarchate he kept good relations with the Kingdom of France, which in 1662 appointed for the first time as French Consul in Beirut a Maronite noble, Abu Nawfal of the Khazen family.[1]
George Beseb'ely died on April 12, 1670 because of a pestilence.[2]