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Pope Leo XIV hails new Maronite Blessed
At the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV praises the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoayek, praying that the new Blessed’s intercession will bring peace to Lebanon and strengthen Maronite faithful worldwide.
By Linda Bordoni
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday paid tribute to the newly beatified Blessed Elias Hoayek, praying that his witness and intercession may bring peace to Lebanon and strengthen Maronite faithful throughout the world.
Speaking after the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope recalled that Blessed Elias Hoayek, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites from 1899 to 1931 and Founder of the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family, was beatified in Lebanon the previous day.
The Pope noted that Blessed Elias led the Maronite Church for more than thirty years “with great dedication and pastoral sensitivity.”
Describing him as “a man of dialogue and hope,” Pope Leo said he was “a shining point of reference in ecclesial, social and political life,” so much so that he came to be known as the “Father of Greater Lebanon.”
Concluding his reflection, the Pope prayed that “the prayers and intercession of the new Blessed” may always accompany Maronite faithful throughout the world and obtain “the gift of peace for the entire people of Lebanon,” a country that, he said, “is so dear to me.”
Beatification Mass
The beatification Mass was celebrated on Saturday in Dimane, the summer seat of the Maronite Patriarchate, with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro presiding as the personal envoy of Pope Leo XIV.
In his homily, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai presented Hoayek as a pastor whose holiness was inseparable from his service to both the Church and the Lebanese nation.
He described the new Blessed as “a man of God,” “the Patriarch of the poor and the oppressed,” and a leader who placed complete trust in Divine Providence. Rai recalled Hoayek’s efforts to feed the starving during the famine of 1916, his determination to defend Lebanon’s identity and sovereignty at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, and his commitment to education, charitable works and the renewal of the Maronite Church.
The Patriarch said Hoayek united “the vigilance of a shepherd, the wisdom of a leader, the heart of a father and the faith of a saint,” leaving a legacy of faith, hope and national unity that continues to guide Lebanon today.
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