February 2012 - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

Two Lebanese
Capuchins on the
Way to Beatification
The Capuchins and the local
Church in Lebanon are happy
to announce the closure of the
second diocesan inquiry into the
martyrdom of two Capuchin
missionaries of Baabdat
[Lebanon]: Br. Leonard Melki
(1881-1915) and Br. Thomas
Saleh (1879-1917), who were
martyred in Turkey. The tribunal,
presided over by Bishop Paul
Dahdad, Apostolic Vicar of the
Latins in Lebanon in the presence
of the Vice-provincial Minister,
Br. Tony Haddad, entrusted the
documents of the case to the
Vice-postulator, Br. Salim
Rizkallah, who undertook to
transmit them to the Congregation
in Rome. The two Brothers
Leonard and Thomas were
arrested and tortured during the
genocide of 1915 in Lebanon. Br.
Leonard Melki refused to apostatise after managing to hide
the Blessed Sacrament when the police arrived. He was taken
to the desert where he was murdered together with the
Armenian Bishop, Blessed Ignace Maloyan and 415 men
from Mardine. Br. Thomas Saleh was arrested and
condemned to death for offering hospitality to an Armenian
priest during the genocide; he was deported in the heart of
winter under military escort. He died on the way on January
18, 1917, while courageously repeating "I have full trust in
God; I do not fear death."
The Capuchins of Lebanon ask us to join them in prayer
that the beatification of these two Brothers will be speedily
achieved, so that they can be models of fraternal charity and
apostolic zeal for the Church, especially for the Christians of
the East. May their intercession obtain peace for this
tormented region of the world.
(Bollettino Di Informazioni Cappuccine Internazionali (BICI)
No. 249, January 2012)
Statement on Elevation of
Archbishop Timothy Dolan
to the College of Cardinals
On January 6, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI announced that
he was creating twenty-two new cardinals, among
them Most Rev. Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of
New York and President of the New York State Catholic
Conference. Cardinal-designate Dolan, who is also serving a
three-year term as President of the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops, will be elevated to the College of
Cardinals at a consistory in Rome on February 18.
Richard E. Barries, Executive Director of the New York
State Catholic Conference, made the following statement this
morning:
"We at the New York State Catholic Conference rejoice
at the pending elevation of our president, Cardinal-designate
Timothy M. Dolan, to the College of Cardinals.
"With his infectious joy, brilliant intellect and
enthusiastic love of the Lord and His people,
Cardinal-designate Dolan is truly a bright light in the
American Church. He already has become the face of the
Church in the United States. Now as a "Prince of the
Church," his influence will truly extend worldwide, even if,
as he underscored in remarks today [January 6], his primary
responsibility remains Archbishop of New York.
"As the eighth Cardinal-Archbishop of New York,
Cardinal-designate Dolan follows in the very large footsteps
of his predecessor and our President Emeritus, Edward
Cardinal Egan, as well as those who came earlier, including
the late Cardinals John O'Connor, Terence Cooke and Francis
Spellman. In his nearly three years in New York,
Cardinal-designate Dolan has shown himself a worthy heir to
their legacies, and we look forward to his many years of
leadership in New York, as well as in the nation and the
Church universal.
"We would be remiss if we did not also congratulate
Cardinal-designate Edwin O'Brien, Pro-Grand Master of the
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, who is a Bronx
native and a former priest and auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of New York. This is truly a great day for the
Catholic Church in New York, and across the U.S. and,
indeed, the world, and a wonderful way to ring in the New
Year."
(New York State Catholic Conference, January 6, 2012)
Pope’s Visit to Lebanon
Avisit by Pope Benedict XVI to Lebanon later this year
is “very possible,” according to the Vatican’s official
spokesman. The Pope would use the visit to deliver a
document – known as an Apostolic Exhortation – that is the
fruit of the discussions that took place at last October’s
Synod for the Middle East.
“In the context of the publication of a synod document,
it is very possible and reasonable for the Pope to go to
Lebanon and deliver this message,” Vatican spokesman Fr.
Federico Lombardi, S.J., told CNA on Jan. 23, 2012.
“Lebanon is certainly a country that desires the Pope’s
presence. Given that the Pope has already been to the Holy
Land, Lebanon is a place that would be an option to host the
Pope for this purpose,” Fr. Lombardi said.
The Italian media is already speculating that the Pope
will travel to the country in mid-September. Possible dates
include September 13, the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy
Cross, and the following weekend, September 22 - 23, 2012.
Pope Benedict could make stops in Lebanon’s capital city
of Beirut and the seat of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate,
Bkerke, as part of his trip.
“Well that’s very much the hope there at the moment,”
said Monsignor John Kozar, President of the Catholic Near
East Welfare Association, who recently visited Lebanon.
The Maronite Voice Volume VIII Issue No. II Page 16 February 2012