Georges Khawam
Georges Salim Khawam, S.M.S.P. | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Latakia | |
| Church | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Latakia |
| See | Latakia, Syria |
| Installed | 17 August 2021 |
| Predecessor | Nikolaki Sawaf |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 5 August 1984 by Néophytos Edelby |
| Consecration | 16 October 2021 by Youssef Absi, Georges Nicholas Haddad and Cyril Salim Bustros |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Georges Salim Khawam 7 April 1959 Aleppo, Syria |
| Alma mater | Damascus University, Pontifical Biblical Institute |
Georges Salim Khawam S.M.S.P. (born 7 April 1959) is a Syrian Melkite Catholic hierarch, who has served as the Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Latakia since 2021.[1]
Biography
[edit]Georges Khawam was born on 7 April 1959 in Aleppo, Syria.[1] He entered the minor seminary of the Missionaries of Saint Paul (the Paulist Fathers) in Harissa, Lebanon, where he completed his religious formation and pursued philosophical and theological studies at the St. Paul Institute for Philosophy and Theology, earning a licentiate in theology.[1][2] He also completed a degree in French literature from Damascus University and made further biblical studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.[1] He was ordained a priest for the Paulist Fathers on 5 August 1984 by Archbishop Néophytos Edelby.[3]
Following his ordination, Khawam held several key academic, pastoral, and leadership roles within his religious institute. He served as a teacher, director of studies, vice-rector of the seminary, and director of the St. Paul Institute for Philosophy and Theology in Harissa, additionally managing the Paulist publishing house. Between 2007 and 2011, he undertook pastoral ministry in France, serving as the rector of the Melkite parish of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre in Paris. Upon returning to Lebanon, he served as the superior of the Paulist community in Jounieh and Harissa, before being elected Superior General of the Missionaries of Saint Paul from 2013 to 2019.[1][4] At the conclusion of his mandate as Superior General, he was appointed superior of the Convent of Saints Constantine and Helen in Harissa.[1]
Following his election by the Synod of Bishops of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Pope Francis granted his assent to Khawam's appointment as the Archbishop of Latakia on 17 August 2021, succeeding Archbishop Nikolaki Sawaf.[5] He was consecrated as a bishop on 16 October 2021 by Melkite Patriarch Youssef Absi, with Georges Nicholas Haddad and Cyril Salim Bustros serving as co-consecrators.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "From the Eastern Churches, 17.08.2021". press.vatican.va. Holy See Press Office. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "انتخاب قدس الأب جورج خوّام البولسيّ مطرانًا لأبرشيّة اللاذقيّة وتوابعها للرّوم الملكيّين الكاثوليك". Noursat (in Arabic). 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Archbishop Georges Salim Khawam, S.M.S.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "قدس الأب جورج خوّام البولسيّ مطرانًا على أبرشية اللاذقية وتوابعها". Cosmedin.org (in Arabic). 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Father George Khawam Bolsi elected Melkite Greek Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Latakia, Tartus and its environs". SyriacPress. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
External links
[edit]- Archbishop Georges Salim Khawam, S.M.S.P. at Catholic-Hierarchy.org
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Religious leaders from Aleppo
- Melkite Greek Catholic bishops
- Syrian archbishops
- Syrian Melkite Greek Catholics
- Eastern Catholic bishops in Syria
- Damascus University alumni
- Pontifical Biblical Institute alumni
- Melkite Paulists
- 21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops
- Bishops appointed by Pope Francis