(Vatican Radio) On Thursday, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, gave his Assent to the
election of the Archimandrite Nicola Antipa, B.A., as Metropolitan Archbishop of Bosra
and Hauran e Hauran (Melkite Greek), canonically elected by the Synod of the Greek-Melkite
Church.
Also on Thursday, Pope Francis appointed Father Raymond Browne, a priest
of the Diocese of Elphin, Ireland, as Bishop of Kerry, Ireland. Father Browne has
been serving as Pastor at Ballagh, Roscommon. He succeeds Bishop William Murphy, whose
resignation upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
Archimandrite
Nicola Antipa
Archimandrite Antipas was born in Aleppo December 25,
1945. He entered the Basilian Alepian Order in 1964, and was ordained a priest September
19, 1971.
He studied in Rome from 1971-1974, obtaining a licentiate in Sacred
Scripture and ancient languages. In 1978 he was sent to the United States, where he
worked as an assistant pastor in the Greek Melkite parish of West Paterson, New Jersey.
He currently
resides in the Convent of Saint-Sauveur Sarba and is professor of Sacred Scripture
at the Theological Institute of Saint Paul in Harissa and at the Institute of Theological
Pastoral Studies of Beirut of the Greek-Melkites.
Father Raymond
Browne
Father Raymond Browne was born in Athlone, January 23, 1957.
He completed his training for the priesthood at the national seminary at Maynooth
and at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.
He was ordained a priest for the
diocese of Elphin, July 4, 1982.
He then completed his studies at the Pontifical
Gregorian University, earning a Licentiate in Canon Law in 1983.
Returning
to his country, he served first as Spiritual Director at Summerhill College (1983-1986),
then was appointed parochial at Roscommon (1986-1988); Member of the regional matrimonial
tribunal of Galway, (1988-1995); assistant priest at St. Mary's, Sligo (1995-2002);
and Judicial Vicar, for the regional matrimonial tribunal of Galway (2002-2008). In
2008 he became the pastor at Ballagh, and was entrusted in the diocese with the responsibility
of promoting the protection of minors and assistance for sick and elderly clergy.