Melkite Bishop Nicholas Samra retires

Published: 2005-01-13

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II has accepted the resignation of Bishop Nicholas J. Samra as auxiliary bishop of the U.S. Melkite Catholic Diocese of Newton, Mass., the Vatican press office announced Jan. 11. Bishop Samra, 60, has been a bishop and protosyncellus, or vicar general of the diocese, since 1989. Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros, who succeeded Bishop John A. Elya as head of the Newton Diocese last August, has named Father Joseph S. Haggar, pastor of two parishes in Rhode Island and protopresbyter of the New England region, as the new protosyncellus. The Newton Diocese serves about 30,000 Melkite Catholics nationwide. It has parishes in 18 states. Archbishop Bustros told Catholic News Service by telephone that Bishop Samra asked to resign "to give the new bishop liberty to proceed in the way he wants."

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