Pope Benedict XVI has named a Palestinian archbishop as the top Roman Catholic prelate in the Holy Land. The Vatican has announced that Archbishop Fouad Twal, 67, will replace longtime Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah in the Jerusalem-based post.
Sabbah had said earlier this year after turning 75 that he was retiring.
Twal, a native of Jordan, had been serving as Sabbah's assistant since 2005 and had been expected to take his place.
He has served in Vatican diplomatic posts in Honduras, Germany and Peru, and studied church law in Rome's prestigious Pontifical Lateranense University.
The Vatican made its announcement Saturday.
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