Paul I Peter Massad (born 16 February 1806 in

Ashqout Ashqout ( ar, عشقوت; also spelled ''Ashkout'', ''Achqout'', ''`Ashqut'') is a town and municipality in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is located 31 kilometers north of Beirut. Ashqout's average elevation ...

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 ...

– died on 18 April 1890 in

Bkerké Bkerké (Arabic: بْكِرْكِي, also Bkerke or Bkirki) is the episcopal see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, located 650 m above the bay of Jounieh, northeast of Beirut, in Lebanon. Though ...

, Lebanon) (or Boulos Boutros Massaad, ''Mas'ad'', ar, بولس الأول بطرس مسعد) was the 70th

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...

Patriarch of Antioch Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...

from 1854 until his death in 1890.

Life

Paul Peter Massad was born in the village of

, in the

Keserwan District Keserwan District ( ar, قضاء كسروان, transliteration: ''Qaḍā' Kisrawān'') is a district (''qadaa'') in Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon, to the northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital, Jounieh, is overwhelmingly Maroni ...

on February 16, 1806. He studied in the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

of 'Ain-Ourakat and later in Rome in the

College of the Propaganda A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

where he remained seven years. Returned in Lebanon, he became secretary of Patriarch

Joseph Peter Hobaish Joseph VIII Peter Hobaish (April 23, 1787 in Sahel Aalma, Lebanon – May 23, 1845 in Dimane, Lebanon), (or Youssef Hobaish, ''Yusuf Hubaysh'', ''Hubais'', ''Hobeish'', ''Hobaich'', ar, يوسف الثامن بطرس حبيش), was a bishop of ...

, who ordained him as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on June 13, 1830. Patriarch

consecrated Paul Peter Massad

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 Tarsus on March 28, 1841, and appointed him as his own spiritual vicar. After Patriarch

Joseph Ragi El Khazen Joseph IX Ragi El Khazen (born in 1791, Ajaltoun, Lebanon – died on 3 November 1854, Dimane, Lebanon), (or Youssef El-Khazen, ''Gazen'', ar, يوسف التاسع الخازن, la, Iosephus Alchasen), was a former bishop of the Maronite Cat ...

's death, Paul Peter Massad was elected patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites on November 12, 1854 and confirmed on March 23, 1855 by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. upright=1, left, alt=Letter from Father Massad, Letter from Father Massad as Vicar of the Maronite Patriarch in 1841 One of his first acts as Patriarch was to hold a national synod of the Maronites, in Bkerké, in April 1856, under the presidency of the papal legate of Syria, Paul Brunoni. He called for this meeting not only the Maronite bishops, but also the superiors of the Maronites, the rectors of Latin missions and some notables of the Maronite nation. The purpose of the meeting was to make applicable the decrees of the Maronite synod of 1736 adapting it to the new circumstances. However, the scope of this synod was insignificant, especially since the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

never approved officially these acts, which therefore remained a dead letter. Paul Peter Massad was patriarch during one of the more difficult periods for the Maronites. The 1858 rebellion of the peasants in the Keserwan was an internal conflict that weakened the Maronite society, and it led to the

1860 Lebanon conflict The 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus (also called the 1860 Syrian Civil War) was a civil conflict in Mount Lebanon during Ottoman rule in 1860–1861 fought mainly between the local Druze and Christians. Following decisive Druze ...

in which the

Druzes The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of H ...

, with the support of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, massacred several thousand Christians. During these events, Massad tried to relieve the suffering of his nation, but he couldn't prevent the bloody war. In 1867, Paul Peter Massad traveled to Rome with a Maronite delegation that included the Archbishop of Tyre

Pierre Bostani Pierre Bostani or Boutros Boustani (November 1819 – 15 November 1899) was a Maronite prelate, Assistant to the Pontifical Throne, Archbishop of Tyre and Sidon, Count of Rome, Bishop of Saint-John-Acre, and Council Father of the First Vatica ...

to attend the 1800th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. He was the second Maronite Patriarch after Jeremy el-Amchiti (died 1230) to travel to Rome. Following Rome, he travelled to France where he met

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

, asking for financial and political help for the Christians of Lebanon. He received from Napoleon III the

French Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

. He then journeyed to Constantinople where he was received by Sultan Abdul-Aziz and presented with the Ottoman Order of the Medjidie. He did not personally participate in the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This, the twentieth ecu ...

in 1869-1870, but he delegated the

Archbishop of Tyre The see of Tyre was one of the most ancient dioceses in Christianity. The existence of a Christian community there already in the time of Saint Paul is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Seated at Tyre, which was the capital of the Roman provi ...

, Pierre Boustani, to head a delegation that also included the Archbishop of Beirut

Tobia Aoun Tobia Aoun (December 1803 – 4 April 1871) (''Tubiya, Tobias, Tubiyya, Aun, Awn'') was an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, Assistant to the Pontifical Throne, Archbishop of Beirut, Count of Rome, Bishop of Acre, Israel, Saint-John-Acre, Knight ...

. A man of culture, Massad wrote several works among which are mentioned: a book of the characteristics of the Eastern Churches; about the procession of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

; a treatise of the perpetual virginity of the

Mother of God ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...

; several dissertations about the Maronites and a historical account of Khazen family. From a religious point of view, Massad fully established the Maronite Church within the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

framework while maintaining many of its own distinctive elements. He died on April 18, 1890 in the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate in

, Lebanon.

Sources

* Pierre Dib, v. Maronite (Eglise), in the Dictionnaire de Theologie Catholique, Tome Dixième, première partie, Paris 1928, coll. 106-107.

Notes

External links

* http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k105630f/f293.image * http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/anti0.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Massad, Paul Peter 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 1806 births 1890 deaths Lebanese religious leaders Lebanese Maronites Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch

Life

See also

Sources

Notes

External links