(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Georges Abou Khazen, OFM, as the new
Latin-rite apostolic vicar of Aleppo in Syria sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae
Sedis. Khazen will govern the vicariate until the Holy See makes other provisions.
He
succeeds Bishop Giuseppe Nazzaro, OFM, who resigned at the age of 76, after holding
the post for nearly 11 years.
Khazen was born in 1947 in Lebanon. A Maronite,
he made final vows as a Franciscan in 1972 and was ordained a priest the following
year. He is a member of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
Among his
pastoral appointments, he was the pastor of parishes in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. As
of 2004, he served as guardian and pastor of St. Francis of Aleppo, and as vicar general
for northern Syria. He speaks Arabic, Italian and French.