Iman Chairman congratulates Patriarch Yazigi on his election as new Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch

John X Yazigi, Bishop of Western and Central Europe, was elected the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch, succeeding Patriarch Hazim Ignatius IV who died in December 2012.

The election took place during a gathering of 18 bishops from Greek Orthodox archbishoprics from around the world who met in Lebanon to elect Hazim’s successor.

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai participated in the inauguration ceremony of Patriarch Yazigi, which was held on Sunday at the Church of the Holy Cross in Syria’s Qassaa, in the heart of Damascus.

Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, was also among the top spiritual officials present at the mass.

Following his inauguration, Patriarch Youhanna X Yazigi said that Christians and Muslims are not only partners in fate, but they built together the civilization of the country that should be preserved.

Like Hazim, Yazigi is also Syrian. He was born in Latakia in 1955.

Yazigi was appointed a deacon in 1979 and a priest in 1983. He was the Head of the Our Lady of Balamand Monastery from 2001 to 2005. In 2008 he was elected the Metropolitan of western and central Europe.

Source: AFP & The Daily Star (Lebanon)

Commenting on the story, Ribal Al-Assad, Chairman of the Iman Foundation, said:

"I would like to congratulate Patriarch Yazigi on his election as the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch. I have no doubt that he will continue his excellent and much needed interfaith work.

"It is vital that we work together to tackle extremism and sectarianism in the Middle East and North Africa by challenging all those who use religion to incite hatred, conflict and violence, and that we engage in dialogue to bring greater reconciliation, understanding and mutual acceptance between Muslims and Christians."