Salim Gazal (July 7, 1931 – April 29, 2011) was a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
in the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church. He was the
auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchate of Antioch from 2001 to 2005.
Biography
Gazal was born in
Machgara,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
.
He was ordained a priest in the Arrouhbaniat Albassiliat Almoukhalissiat (Order of the Savior, also known as the
Basilian Salvatorian Order
, abbreviation = BS
, nickname = Salvatorian Fathers
, formation =
, founder = Archbishop Euthymios Michael Saifi
, founding_location = Saida, Lebanon
, type = Monastic order of pontifical rig ...
) on June 22, 1958.
In 1962 Father Ghazal was assigned to an area near Sidon, Lebanon. There he was involved in inter-religious cooperation as a religion teacher to both Christian and Muslim students. He arranged with the sheikh who was leading the Islam classes to learn and teach each other’s material.
In 1990 Gazal and like-minded Muslims and Christians founded the Center for Dialogue and Development. The center sponsors symposiums, lectures, conferences and weekly discussion groups to encourage inter-religious cooperation. The organization also supports a retirement home, works with
Habitat for Humanity to offer no-profit homeownership loans and offers computer training and Internet access.
Gazal served as
Apostolic Administrator
An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...
of
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
(Lebanon) from 1985 to 1987. He was the
Superior General of the Basilian Salvatorian Order from July 17, 1995 to June 22, 2001.
[
On June 22, 2001 Gazal was named ]Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of Edessa in Osrhoëne and Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Antioch in Syria. He was ordained a bishop on August 5, 2001 by Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
Grégoire III Laham, B.S. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishops Georges Kwaïter, B.S. of the Archeparchy
Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the ...
of Saida Saida may refer to:
Places
* Saïda, Algeria, a city in Algeria
* Saïda Province, a province of Algeria
* Saida, Lebanon, the Arabic name for Sidon, a city in Lebanon
* Saida, a village in Helan, Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab province, Pakistan
* Sai ...
and Jean Mansour, S.M.S.P., Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Antiochia.[
From 2001 to 2006 Bishop Gazal served as Bishop of the Melkite Curia.][ In 2001 Bishop Ghazal became the first national chairman for Habitat for Humanity Lebanon.][ His resignation as auxiliary bishop was accepted on April 14, 2005. He received the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award in 2007 for his 50 year commitment to Muslim-Christian dialogue.]National Order of the Cedar
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
. At the request of Bishop Ghazal he was interred at his beloved Monastery of the Holy Saviour in Saida, Lebanon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
.
References
External links
Bishop Salim Ghazal's Pacem in Terris acceptance speech, November 4, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghazal, Salim
1931 births
2011 deaths
Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics
Lebanese religious leaders
Melkite Greek Catholic bishops
People from Machghara