Pope acknowledges new patriarch of Lebanese Maronite Church

(25 March, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday acknowledged Archbishop Bechara Boutros Rai as the patriarch the eastern rite Lebanese Maronite Church. Eastern rite Churches in communion with the Catholic Church elect their own heads, whom the Pope acknowledges. Archbishop Bechara Boutros Rai was elected patriarch during the synod of the Lebanese Maronite Church held on March 15 in Bkerke, north of Beirut. The 71-year-old patriarch succeeds Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, who stepped down last month. The Maronite Church has up to 5 million followers worldwide. Its head exerts significant influence in Lebanon, where Christians make up about 40 percent of the country's 4 million people.