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 ca ...

in the

Melkite Greek Catholic Church el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

. He was the auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchate of Antioch from 2001 to 2005.

Biography

Gazal was born in

Machgara Machghara ( ar, مشغرة), also spelled Mashghara, is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, situated in the Western Beqaa District and south of the Beqaa Governorate. It lies just to the northwest of Sohmor and southwest of Lake Qaraoun, sout ...

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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. 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 Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...

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 admi ...

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 A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while t ...

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 an ...

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 t ...

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 Jean Mansour, SMSP (born on 27 July 1928 in Baalbek, Lebanon - died on 17 November 2006) was Bishop and administrator in the Melkite Patriarchate of Antioch. Life Jean Mansour was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1952 and became Chaplain of ...

, 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 The ''Pacem in Terris'' Peace and Freedom Award is a Catholic peace award which has been given annually since 1964, in commemoration of the 1963 encyclical letter '' Pacem in terris'' (Peace on Earth) of Pope John XXIII. It is awarded "to honor ...

in 2007 for his 50 year commitment to Muslim-Christian dialogue. In April 2011 Bishop Gazal succumbed to illness. Following the outpouring of grief and admiration for his life's work from all spheres of the Lebanese spectrum, the President of the Republic bestowed upon Bishop Ghazal the rank of Commander of The

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, ce ...

. 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