On
Thursday, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, gave his Assent to the
election of the Archimandrite Nicola Antipa, B.A., as Metropolitan
Archbishop of Bosra and Hauran e Hauran (Melkite Greek), canonically
elected by the Synod of the Greek-Melkite Church.Also on Thursday, Pope Francis appointed Father Raymond Browne, a priest of the Diocese of Elphin, Ireland, as Bishop of Kerry, Ireland. Father Browne has been serving as Pastor at Ballagh, Roscommon. He succeeds Bishop William Murphy, whose resignation upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
Archimandrite Nicola Antipa
Archimandrite Antipas was born in Aleppo December 25, 1945. He entered the Basilian Alepian Order in 1964, and was ordained a priest September 19, 1971.
He studied in Rome from 1971-1974, obtaining a licentiate in Sacred Scripture and ancient languages. In 1978 he was sent to the United States, where he worked as an assistant pastor in the Greek Melkite parish of West Paterson, New Jersey.
He has served as Superior General of the Basilian Alepian Order (1989-1995); Spiritual Director of the Patriarchal Seminary of Sainte-Anne Raboué in Lebanon (1996-1998); and Chancellor of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate (2000-2001). From 2001 to 2011 he was pastor of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre in Paris, France.
He currently resides in the Convent of Saint-Sauveur Sarba and is professor of Sacred Scripture at the Theological Institute of Saint Paul in Harissa and at the Institute of Theological Pastoral Studies of Beirut of the Greek-Melkites.
Father Raymond Browne
Father Raymond Browne was born in Athlone, January 23, 1957. He completed his training for the priesthood at the national seminary at Maynooth and at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.
He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Elphin, July 4, 1982.
He then completed his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, earning a Licentiate in Canon Law in 1983.
Returning to his country, he served first as Spiritual Director at Summerhill College (1983-1986), then was appointed parochial at Roscommon (1986-1988); Member of the regional matrimonial tribunal of Galway, (1988-1995); assistant priest at St. Mary's, Sligo (1995-2002); and Judicial Vicar, for the regional matrimonial tribunal of Galway (2002-2008).
In 2008 he became the pastor at Ballagh, and was entrusted in the diocese with the responsibility of promoting the protection of minors and assistance for sick and elderly clergy.