Pope Francis Makes New Appointments in the Maronite Church

On Monday, January 13, the Holy Father erected the new apostolic exarchate for the Maronite faithful resident in Western and Central Africa, in ad Ibadan, Nigeria.

- appointed Rev. Simon Faddoul, president of Caritas-Lebanon, as the first apostolic exarch without episcopal title, and as apostolic visitor for the Maronite faithful resident in Southern Africa.

- appointed Bishop Georges Chihane, eparchal vicar of Cairo and Sudan of the Maronites, as apostolic vistor for the Maronite faithful resident in the countries of North Africa nost included in the eparchal territory.

- appointed Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa, emeritus of Mossul, Iraq, and bishop of the Syro-Catholic patriarchal curia, as apostolic visitor for the faithful of Syrian rite resident in Western Europe.