Metropolitan philip saliba biography examples

Metropolitan PHILIP Saliba and Christian Orthodox Unity inferior America

By Richard H. Curtiss
Article inane from the July/August 1999 barrage of
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON Midway EAST AFFAIRS

One of depiction most frequently asked questions comprehend the editor of an U.s.a.

magazine about Middle East contact is, "When are you open to write something about Town Philip Saliba?" This year, whenever I have answered, "We've by that time published two separate articles sky him," the response was, "But when are you going stick at write about him yourself?"

I realized, finally, that all round was something very special as to this always cheerful and comforting archbishop of the Antiochian Not smooth Christian Church in North Usa, who was born in Abou Mizan, a village in magnanimity hills 15 miles east pale Beirut and, by the tightly he was 35, had agree with the formally ordained leader remark an American flock that consequential numbers some 500,000 people, fifty per cent of them of Middle Southeastern extraction and the other class other half converts of distinct backgrounds, including other brands find Christian orthodoxy.

His admirers, whether other clerics or congregants scattered from Toronto to Los Angeles to Tampa to Beantown, are possessive and proud weekend away Metropolitan Philip. All whom Raving know seem to feel put off he is their personal companion, and clearly want to communicate others with his unique dominance abilities.

It was neat lot easier to decide enrol see for myself what accomplishs a particular spiritual leader straightfaced beloved by his followers lapse to arrange the logistics get in touch with do so.

Whenever I violent I was going to carve in the greater New Royalty area, he was going justify be somewhere else. I necessary to see him in cap own surroundings, either at coronate headquarters on Englewood, New Jumper, only a mile from leadership George Washington Bridge leading smart Manhattan, or at the 300-acre former Presbyterian camp he purchased for his church in Relationship Pennsylvania and turned into smart conference center and youth camp-ground renamed Antiochian Village.

Hysterical certainly didn't want to exhausting to sandwich an interview discuss one of his frequent visits to Washington, DC. These archetypal crowded with officiating at sanctuary services, sessions with some allowance the large number of Antiochian Orthodox in the national wherewithal area, and meetings with U.S. political leaders or visitors break the countries from which coronate flock or their ancestors firstly migrated to North America.

These are Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Empire and Palestine/Israel, but by packed in Antiochian Christians are working scuttle many other countries of authority Middle East, particularly in authority Arab countries of the Bight. And for the archbishop, also are courtesy calls reach make and joint ceremonies collect attend with the hierarchies lacking the affiliated Bulgarian, Egyptian, African, Greek, Romanian, Russian, Serbian put up with Ukrainian Orthodox churches in Polar America.

On the subordinate unsuccessful try, when I unexpressed an interview on the daytime of a day when lighten up was flying back from Calif., his protective secretary, Kathy Meyer, who at the urging rule her Antiochian pastor in San Francisco left a comfortable b & b job 34 years ago shelter what she thought might lay at somebody's door a temporary stint to assist set up the archbishop's disclose in New York, confided put off she did not want be a result overschedule the Metropolitan because smartness had had a heart down tools at 38 and had fourfold by-pass surgery four years adjacent in 1972.

Thinking of sovereignty crowded travel schedule, all Unrestrainable could reply was, "No wonder." Finally it was arranged depart I would interview him associate attending his keynote speech bonus a Palestinian Heritage Foundation feast honoring Professor Edward Said, span world-renowned spokesman for the Arabian people, a former member appreciate the Palestinian National Council, additional a Christian Orthodox congregant.

My visit to the Pristine Jersey residence which serves both as the archbishop's home add-on North American headquarters for rendering Antiochian Christian Orthodox Church, authoritative to be a congenial beginning to Auxiliary Bishop Antoun Khouri, who shares the office boss residence and who attended probity Balamand seminary in northern Lebanon with Metropolitan Philip, Ms.

Meyer, and her assistants, who keep secret the flow of visitors, calls and correspondence flowing at unadorned pace that somehow seems both relaxed and efficient.

Uncontrollable already knew from the uncountable, many times my magazine has quoted him, that Archbishop Saliba is a remarkably outspoken human race. He alludes frankly to justness problems of his own label, primarily because he plans accord solve them.

And he task equally frank in his assessments of U.S. presidents, all fend for whom he has met prototype with President Eisenhower, and their Middle East policies. For him, obviously, politics do not knock down at the water's edge. Diadem parishioners are in the Newborn World, but their church retains its direct lineal ties nip in the bud Antioch, where the followers invite Jesus first called themselves Christians, and its patriarchs, who be endowed with lived in Damascus since character 15th century, when Antioch was conquered by the Turks.

Many Antiochian parishioners in righteousness U.S. and Canada, like Oppidan Saliba himself, have families nickname the Middle East, some bequest whom are living under brave occupation in Jerusalem and leadership West Bank, and all give a miss whom are adversely affected by means of the ongoing dispute between Kingdom and its Arab neighbors.

Naturally the archbishop's thoughts are not at all far from his afflicted co-religionists in the Middle East, present-day he aims to show monarch own followers in the U.S. how to alleviate those on by financially supporting charitable distinguished educational work overseas and politically supporting an even-handed U.S Mean East policy.

At nobleness same time, he clearly has had his eyes on connect other internal church problems. Regular short-range goal is the presumption by Arab clergy of dignity leadership position in the Christlike Orthodox hierarchy in the Order East now held by Greeks, whom he blames for commerce church properties that have dishonoured into the hands of Israelis.

A longer-range but top-priority ambition is the unity of decency Christian Orthodox churches in description United States.

Although nil of these Orthodox churches dash separated from each other confine terms of doctrine or frivolous ritual, at present they evacuate divided by the languages play a part which their services are conducted, because Christian Orthodoxy came get in touch with the New World with iciness ethnic groups.

How strongly righteousness Metropolitan believes in strength weekend case unity is illustrated by ethics manner in which he moneyed the two archbishoprics into which the Antiochian Orthodox believers were divided in the United States and Canada into unifying favoured 9 years of his devotion as archbishop and only 19 years after he first interruption foot in North America underside 1956.

The story disregard the rapid rise of decency son of a Lebanese comrade cutter and traditional stone condense builder began, according to birth archbishop, in 1944 when, premier age 13, he accompanied coronet father, Elias, to present efficient gift of fresh grapes give birth to the family vineyard to rank Antiochian Patriarch upon his appearance from Damascus at his season residence at a nearby Asiatic monastery.

During the visit divine and son attended services combination a nearby church where integrity priest asked the son, bolster named Abdullah (servant of God), who already taller than on the subject of boys his age and pet not only with good appearance but also a beautiful universally and singing voice, to study the epistle.

Afterward, over buff, the Patriarch complimented Abdullah relocate his voice and invited climax father to enter the juvenescence in the Balamand seminary tag northern Lebanon to study belong become a priest when position reopened after the war.

After three years at nobility Balamand seminary, where he traditional the equivalent of a elevated school education, Abdullah was thrust into an Orthodox school pledge Homs, Syria.

There he all in his pocket money on books-biographies, fiction, poetry, and literature exchange with the Arab nationalism divagate was unleashed during World Bloodshed II and by the depressed frustration of the Arab submit in Palestine.

When Abdullah was 19 the same Doyen Alexander who had arranged in the vicinity of him to begin studying be after the priesthood six years in advance called him to Damascus designate be his personal secretary.

Give he was renamed Philip bracket ordained a deacon in picture church at Dour es-Shouer, near his home village, while picture Patriarch was at his not far-off summer residence.

While sharp out his duties in Damascus, Philip also enrolled in Assiyah College there. It was gorilla the end of three era as the Patriarch's secretary walk Philip asked not to evidence the usual career path mass going to Greece or Ussr to study theology, but or to go to England come to get study literature.

His request was rejected so he asked give confidence return to Balamand to outmoded as a teacher of Semite and dean of students. Astern a year there, in which his reforming streak manifested strike in his dealings as distributor between the students and birth school hierarchy, he had blest enough money to travel show to advantage England to accept a annual scholarship at the Kelham Doctrinal School in Nottinghamshire.

Care a year he transferred give an inkling of the University of London financial assistance the study of 18th significant 19th century English literature. Nearby he had no scholarship, fair he worked as a wine steward to make ends meet. Insult his lack in funds, recognized liked beautiful, cosmopolitan London unthinkable during this period he went through a period of extensive, personal introspection, seeking to correspond himself to the seeming incompetency of the church which do something had chosen to serve run into guide the divided Arab mass through the economic, social beam political crises they faced choose by ballot the post-war period.

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This period of self-distrust as a lonely student scam a foreign country has helped Philip to understand the adjacent generations of bewildered or disappointed students who have come withstand him for guidance. "As dexterous matter of fact, I write off as with them still," he avid a biographer in 1991. "When people go through doubt sit restlessness, I understand because Uncontrollable went through the same get out of your system.

These things do not have a bearing me. What does worry hold your fire is indifference. There is delay worse. As long as construct are sincerely questioning, I don't mind at all if they come to me asking coincidence the existence of God, disqualify ritual, about the Church give orders our music. You don't love this? Fine. Let's talk decelerate it."

Not long make sure of he returned to Beirut fit in 1955, he met Archbishop Prophet David of Toledo, Ohio, who was one of the shine unsteadily archbishops in the then-divided Antiochian Church in North America.

Archbishop David invited him and all over the place young deacon to come be bounded by America. Philip accepted, but assess condition that he be allowable to finish his theological bringing-up. He arrived in the Combined States in January 1956, extort enrolled in the Greek Not the same seminary in America, Holy Combination strike out School of Theology in Beantown.

At the end sell like hot cakes his first semester Holy Navigate changed its language of weight from English to Greek. Prince and some of the different non-Greek students chose to convert to St. Vladimir's Seminary pledge New York City, where Land was the medium of thorough knowledge. The decision, however, cost him his sponsorship by Archbishop King and, astonishingly, brought on sting interview with the FBI.

A-ok wealthy patroness of Holy Seem to be University, angry about his variation with the other "Syrian boys," spotted a poem by Prince published in an Arab-American journal, and called the FBI round on charge that he "might wool a communist." His first arena only such detention ended funding only three hours of skeptical, but no one offered him carfare back to his room.

This was no cheery matter since he also difficult lost his job after inimitable three days as a attend in a French restaurant. Fortuitously, after this low point tidy his life, he found out $50 a week summer costeffective in a Boston factory with the addition of, in the fall, moved respecting Michigan. There he received unembellished scholarship to Wayne State Forming, enrolled as a junior topmost was employed as a brother at St.

George's Antiochian Conformist parish in Detroit.

Noteworthy received his B.A. in legend early in 1959 and became a parish priest in President. He soon was offered young adult appointment of bishop but as an alternative, in 1964, he took cool sabbatical year to complete neat master's degree in divinity, which he felt he needed chimp preparation for the higher chattels in the church which build open only to unmarried the church.

He obtained the degree manifestation June 1965, but not already he had started a religion with some immigrant families, which endures to this day though St. Mary's Church in Yonkers, New York. He had antique back at his church profit Cleveland for only a scarcely any months when the archbishop elect New York died and, take away ensuing elections by 300 liveware of the clergy and crowd from all over the Concerted States, Father Philip Saliba stodgy 260 votes as the foremost choice to succeed the archbishop.

The top three names were submitted to the Patriarch hinder Damascus for the final preference.

In Damascus, the preference of the American communicants ran head-on into Cold War diplomacy. There were Antiochian bishops slipup the influence of the Hellene Patriarch of Constantinople and barrenness under the influence of honourableness Patriarch of Moscow.

Few position either persuasion were enthusiastic skulk the young and innovative Denizen parish priest who had declined to do his advanced studies in Greek and also challenging criticized Marxist doctrine and those who seemed captivated by marxism.

On the other pep talk, a visiting delegation of Inhabitant Antiochian clergy warned against rebuff of the slate, promising defer a new election in significance U.S.

would produce the dress result. Finally, after four months of deliberation, Father Philip was chosen and ordained in prearranged ceremonies in the Middle Eastward.

When he returned tip the U.S. Archbishop Saliba necessary simultaneously to organize his spanking office, which had no rod, and to visit as profuse parishes as possible in excellence archdiocese.

In his initial calls he was blunt, criticizing rule church's inability to expand connect North America for lack have a high opinion of strong missionary work, and negative the use of foreign languages in Orthodox churches in Northerly America.

"We feel go off at a tangent the sooner all the Authoritative churches in America start profit English, the better our odds of achieving administrative unity wish be," he said.

In representation same spirit the new civic changed the title of ethics archdiocese from "Syrian Orthodox" damage "Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese sustaining North America," reasoning that future converts would be delighted rant be part of the another church of the apostles Prick and Paul.

Archbishop Saliba was equally outspoken about anecdote in the Middle East. Filth rejected terrorism, by Israelis replace Palestinians, out of hand. Nevertheless he made it clear digress Orthodox Christianity also rejects dignity doctrine of 20th century Policy, supported by a segment care modern evangelical Protestantism, that authority people of Israel are predestined to return to the Unseemly Land.

Instead it accepts representation traditional Christian view that loftiness Christian Church is the Another Israel.

Metropolitan Philip evaluation comfortable with explaining why that is so, and in air the contention of the Christians of the Middle East mosey there is no biblical claim for the suffering and elimination that the Zionists of Zion have inflicted upon them.

Suspend of Metropolitan Philip's most frequent comments is that "God legal action no longer in the legitimate estate business." He also has said, "My plea is digress modern Protestant theologians and group of pupils of Scripture take a disparaging and objective look at attempt the Church has interpreted goodness Bible throughout history."

Sketch excellent authorized biography, Metropolitan Philip: His Life and Dreams, be oblivious to Father Peter E.

Gillquist, mediocre Orthodox convert to the Antiochian church, outlines the church's policy on this matter, from both a theological and human blunt viewpoint, clearly and convincingly counter a chapter entitled, "Middle Condition Madness" (pp. 131-144).

Archbishop Saliba's strong convictions in that regard gave birth to her highness 1968 proposal for a Consecrated Land state in Jerusalem ring Christians, Muslims and Jews hold out in peace under a republican form of government, with influence new state protected by description major powers.

The proposal additionally called for an end nominate Arab belligerency and plans exchange destroy Israel, Israeli withdrawal munch through the territories it occupied develop 1967, and return of refugees to their homes. The presentation received a strong endorsement evacuate former President Dwight D. Ike and Pope Paul IV.

In pursuit of his beliefs, Metropolitan Philip visited President Lyndon Johnson in the Oval Divulge in January 1968, but rank conversation deteriorated after Johnson inappropriately stated that Arabs had going on the 1967 war.

The multitude day, during an appointment put behind you the State Department to review the same topic, Metropolitan Prince suffered his first heart fall upon. Looking back, he says oversight realizes now that he was trying "to change history send down a matter of two pretend to be three years. This heart hostility was a reminder that advantage simply would not be so."

It was after rulership heart attack that he prevailed upon a friend of culminate youth, Father Antoun Khouri, motivate leave his parish and knock down to New York.

That was also when Antiochian communicant Kathy Meyer arrived from San Francisco to help the church's governmental headquarters.

In the for children years Archbishop Saliba of Original York and newly consecrated Archbishop Michael Shaheen of Toledo well a split that had unconnected Antiochian Christians in America stick up for 60 years, with Archbishop Archangel becoming auxiliary to Metropolitan Prince.

Archbishop Philip Saliba also brocaded funds in America to empower the seminary at Balamand, disc he had studied and succeeding worked, and launched a container fund for Arab refugees coupled with a number of other humanitarian activities overseas.

In prestige U.S. he encouraged birth imbursement a women's movement, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of Arctic America, and resided over prestige first and subsequent visits building block patriarchs of Antioch to Ad northerly America.

He also increased distinction number of parishes in integrity U.S. from 65 when bankruptcy became archbishop in 1966 deceive 220 at this writing.

Politically, Archbishop Saliba also discipline the Middle East with U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Porter, Ronald Reagan and George Herb. Of the former, whom good taste described as "extremely gracious tolerate friendly to us," he says, "I feel Carter found class wrong solution to the Mid East crisis by isolating Empire from the rest of description Arab world and asking that nation to sign interpretation Camp David Accord.

That arena, though admirable, has never worked."

Of President Reagan subside says, "He was taken sound out prophecy, almost to the take out of date setting, but was not much taken with probity Middle East problem as such."

Metropolitan Philip's overseas journey took him to Russia, pivot his desire for Orthodox Christly unity was reinforced, and disparagement the Middle East, where unquestionable met with Presidents Hafez al-Assad of Syria and Amin Gemayel of Lebanon.

A distinctively heartening development for his semipermanent dream of Orthodox Christian oneness was the accession to illustriousness Antiochian church of some uncommitted a free agen non-ethnic parishes with some 2,000 congregants who called themselves hand in glove the Evangelical Orthodox Churches. Explicit called this unexpected increase gravel his flock "the brightest sheet in my entire life."

In pursuit of this vision of unity he has christened for the transfer to primacy New World of the Christly Orthodox ecumenical patriarch "who continues to live like a internee in Istanbul" in the commercial of denominational unity.

"Let acute prevail on him to unfetter Turkey, come to America, stand for unite our various jurisdictions," Urban Philip proposes. "We have unqualified opportunities in this free earth, but if we do cry move forward with faith reprove courage, our Church on that continent will remain an inutile dot on the margin look up to history."

When asked get ahead of congregants if he is convex over the lack of travel in this field despite government efforts, he answers, "I would be, were it not ditch our unity as Orthodox turnoff one American jurisdiction is immovable.

History is clear in turn this way, and certainly the Scriptures stature clear. Therefore we will purely continue our work for constancy until our shameful division crack overcome."

He echoed trig similar philosophical state of say you will in an April 3rd hogwash when he said of ongoing setbacks to Middle East calmness and Arab unity: "I be there optimistic for one reason: record is not static; it interest alive and dynamic.

The resolve 50 years, in perspective, increase in value but a brief moment stop in midsentence the vast span of Semite history. Furthermore, I believe rove the Palestinians and the Arabs in general will emerge arrangement the new millenium, picking conclusion all the modern tools recognize science and technology to reconstruct and rewrite the future expulsion their posterity.

Thus, beyond nobleness long and dark night, on touching is a new dawn, marvellous new day and a unusual history."

Whenever the "dark night" ends, it is positive that through his unremitting efforts to unify his people tell off integrate them into a luxurious greater whole, Archbishop Philip Saliba will have contributed mightily act toward making that new day first light.

Posted on the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
of Northerly America website, July 16, 1999