Pastoral Letter from Metropolitan John 28/06/2011

Our beloved sons in the Lord,
The Reverend Clergy and the God-beloved people,
In our Orthodox Antiochian Archdiocese in Europe,
Christ’s peace be with you.

After invoking God’s grace richly upon you…
We inform you that our Holy Antiochian Synod in its 47th session held in the
Patriarchal Holy Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, on 21st of June 2001, has
elected twelve auxiliary bishops (not diocesan Bishops) for the Patriarchate
and for some dioceses. Three of them are for our Archdiocese and these are the
Most Reverend:

- The elected Bishop Ignatius Al Houshi
- The elected Bishop Hanna Haikal
- The elected Bishop Ephraim Maalouli

The induction of Bishop Ignatius will be for the time being in Paris, of Bishop
Hanna in Berlin, and of Bishop Ephraim in Cologne.
They will be helping us in every task that is assigned to them in pastoral work,
teaching and administration all around the Archdiocese.
We inform you that they will receive episcopal ordination by the hand of His
Beatitude, Patriarch Ignatius IV in the Patriarchate in Damascus and we will
inform you about the ordination arrangements after agreeing them with the
Patriarch.
In this unique occasion which brings happiness to our hearts, we send you this
message so that this joy may be for the whole family. We rejoice in your love,
the assurance of our unity, as side by side we carry each other in prayer so that
together we may carry out the service entrusted to us in these lands in Jesus’
love and peace.

May Christ’s peace be with you
Your fervent supplicant before God,
Metropolitan John