Meeting attended by His Beatitude Cardinal Pietre Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronitas, and Pilar Lara, President of the FPSC.

Last Friday, May 23, His Beatitude Cardinal Pietre Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronitas, arrived in Madrid with the Archbishop of Beirut, Monsignor Abujaouden, and Father Elias Madi, Superior General of the Lebanese Maronita Order. Spain was the last stop on their 22 day tour of different countries (Qatar, United States, South Africa, etc.)

His Majesty, King Juan Carlos, accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister, welcomed the Maronita Patriarch to the Zarzuela Palace. His Beatitude Sfeir wanted to thank Spain for their help in Lebanon especially for sending the distinguished Spanish contingent from FINUL to the South.

 

At the same time, the delegation met with the ambassadors from Arab countries, the Lebanese community in Madrid, the President of the Madrid community, Mrs. Esperanza Aguirre, and Mrs. Pilar Lara, President of the FPSC.

 

On Sat., he celebrated the Corpus Christi Vigil in the Almudena Cathedral with the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, Mons. Antonio María Rouco Varela, as well as with the Spain Primado, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares in Toledo.

 

On Sun., he visited the Guadalupe Monastery in Caceres.

 

 

The Maronita Church of the oriental rite and part of the Catholic

Church was founded by Saint Marón at the end of the IV century. The Maronita Church is in full communion with the Rome Apostolic headquarters without giving up their own framework and rituals; therefore they are Catholics of oriental and Maronita rites.

 

Even though the main Maronita communities were and still are in Lebanon and Syria, the majority of this faith is in other countries (Australia, France, U.S.A., Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, the Holy Land, Cyprus, Egypt, Canada, Great Britain, and countries in the Arabic peninsula and the African continent).

 

As of today, the highest authority in the Maronita Church is “Patriarch of Antioquia and all the Orient Maronitas” currently Mar Nasrallah Boutras Sfeir, named Cardinal by S.S. Juan Pablo II, and who is an important person with moral influence in his country. The Patriarch’s head office is located in Bkerke, Lebanon.