Salim Gazal (July 7, 1931 – April 29, 2011) was a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
in the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church. He was the
auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
of the Patriarchate of Antioch from 2001 to 2005.
Biography
Gazal was born in
Machgara,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
.
He was ordained a priest in the Arrouhbaniat Albassiliat Almoukhalissiat (Order of the Savior, also known as the
Basilian Salvatorian Order) 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 admi ...
of
Sidon
Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...
(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 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 Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
Grégoire III Laham, B.S. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishops Georges Kwaïter, B.S. of the Archeparchy of Saida 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.]
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 Christian clergy
Melkite Greek Catholic bishops
People from Machghara