Pope names Tunis archbishop as coadjutor in Jerusalem

Published: 2005-09-12

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Fouad Twal of Tunis, Tunisia, as the coadjutor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The pope also named Father Maroun Lahham, head of the Beit Jalla seminary, as bishop of Tunis Sept. 8. As coadjutor, Archbishop Twal will succeed Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem when he retires or dies. Although Patriarch Sabbah is 72 and has three years before he is required by canon law to submit his resignation to the pope, it has become a trend within the Vatican to bring in a successor earlier than in the past in order to familiarize him with the work involved, said Wadie Abunasser, press adviser to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The patriarchate includes Latin-rite Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus. Archbishop Twal, currently president of the regional bishops' conference of North Africa, will arrive in Jerusalem in late September, Abunasser said.

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