The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Bishop Joseph Absi was elected on Wednesday the new patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, a source told The Daily Star.
The election of Absi comes a month after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Gregorius III Lahham.
Lahham had hinted at his intention to resign several times over the past few years, and eventually made the decision following the unraveling of Orthodox Christianity’s synod in June 2016.
Lahham wrote a letter on June 20, 2016, to the Synod of the Eastern Churches to announce his resignation.