His Excellency, The Most Reverend Elias Zoghby | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Baalbek | |
| Church | Melkite Greek Catholic |
| See | Eparchate of Baalbek |
| In office | September 9, 1968 – October 24, 1988 |
| Predecessor | Archbishop Joseph Malouf |
| Successor | Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros |
| Previous post(s) | Patriarchal Vicar for the See of Alexandria |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 20, 1936 |
| Consecration | November 21, 1954[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 January 1912 |
| Died | 16 January 2008 (aged 96) Beirut, Lebanon |
Elias Zoghby (January 9, 1912 – January 16, 2008) was an Egyptian-born Lebanese Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Baalbek in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1968 to 1988. He was known as a leading advocate of Catholic–Orthodox ecumenism.[2] He is best known for his ecumenical interventions during the Second Vatican Council and for his 1995 Profession of Faith, known as the Zoghby Initiative, which attempted to re-establish communion between the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.[3]
Zoghby's views on topics such as Catholic–Orthodox "double communion" and dissolution of marriage were controversial. Critics labeled him the enfant terrible of his church, while supporters lauded him as an energetic visionary who sought to re-unite the Eastern Churches.[4]