Al-Rahi Attends Tawadros' Enthronement before Heading to Rome
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi attended on Sunday the enthronement of the new Coptic pope in Cairo ahead of the Nov. 24 ceremony that would officially appoint him as a new cardinal in the Catholic church.
The enthronement of Bishop Tawadros was held at Cairo's St. Mark's Cathedral.
Tawadros, 60, was chosen on Nov. 4 to succeed Pope Shenuda II, who died in March after four decades on the patriarchal throne.
He becomes spiritual head of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East and 118th pope in a line dating back to the origins of Christianity and to Saint Mark, the apostle and author of one of the four Gospels, who brought the new faith to Egypt.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said al-Rahi will travel to Rome for the Nov. 24 ceremony to officially appoint him as cardinal.
He will attend mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday Nov. 25 and preside mass the next day at the Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome at 6:00 pm.
The pope announced the appointment of al-Rahi last month along with five other non-European cardinals, becoming the fourth patriarch from Lebanon to be chosen as cardinal.
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