Chucrallah-Nabil El-Hage
Chucrallah-Nabil El-Hage, also transliterated Shukrallah Nabil El Hajj, is the current Archeparch of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre.Life
El-Hage was born in Hajjé, a village in the district of Sidon, the government of Southern Lebanon He entered into the seminary of the Maronite Patriarchate in Rasir in 1957, and there he attended his secondary education until 1962. Later in 1963 El-Hage entered in the Saint Joseph University in Beirut, where he studied philosophy and theology. On 13 June 1970 El-Hage was ordained to the priesthood.
In 1977 he obtained a degree in French language by the Lebanese University and received a grant from the government to study in France, where he obtained a Diploma of Advanced Studies from the Provence University, and later obtained a doctorate in 1981 in the French language. On his return to Lebanon, he taught at the Saint Joseph University and the Lebanese University.
In June 2003 he was elected Archbishop of Tyre. After the confirmation by the Holy See on September 25, 2003 he was ordained by Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, and his co-consecrators were Roland Aboujaoudé, Auxiliary bishop of Antioch and Maroun Khoury Sader, Emeritus Archeparch of Tyre on 29 November 2003.
On the Special Assembly of the Synod for the Middle East, the Archbishop took the view that the Christians should not lead lonely battle, but in solidarity should live with all citizens. As an example for the coexistence of Christians and Muslims, he cited the ADYAN Foundation. In many sermons and contributions he previously urged the Lebanese Christians not to leave the country.
