English Supplement

MGR. YUSEF SUEIF ELECTED AS NEW CYPRIOT MARONITE ARCHBISHOP

“A decision against the will of the people”

THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE CYPRIOT MARONITE PEOPLE WERE IN FAVOR OF THE CYPRIOT GENERAL VICAR IOANNIS ORFANOU. NEVERTHELESS THIS WAS NOT TAKEN IN TO CONSIDERATION BY THE SYNOD. “EVERYTHING WAS PREDETERMINED” SAYS THE VICAR'S ENVIRONMENT.

The Synod of the Maronite Bishops held in Lebanon under the patronage of Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir has elected Mgr. Yousef Soueif as the new Archbishop of Maronites in Cyprus. The appointment of Mgr Yousef Soueif is now expected to be ratified by H.H. the Pope Benedict in Rome. As our newspaper is informed the new archbishop was proposed and fully supported by the ex-Cypriot Maronite Archbishop Boutros Boutros Gemayel. The news for the election of Yousef Soueif provoked strong reaction within the Maronite community of Cyprus whose vast majority was in favor of the election of the Cypriot Vicar General Ioannis Orfanou.

Orfanou’s close collaborators stated to “T” newspaper that the decision of the Synod is against the will of the people. “The decision was a big disappointment to the vast majority of Cypriot Maronites” they added. According to the above mentioned sources there was a deep desire by the Cypriot Maronites for the election of Vicar Orfanou. “This would have been the first time in history that the Cypriot Maronites would have celebrated the election of a Cypriot Maronite priest at the top post of the ecclesiastical hierarchy”.   Vicar’s Orfanou environment believes that Orfanou was the victim of what they call as the “big conspiracy”. To this end they insist that the General Vicar was several times assured by Archbishop Gemayel that he was going to be the new Archbishop and that he was going to have his full support. But at the end this proved to be nothing less than a good “game” played against the Cypriot General Vicar. “What finally happened is what Boutros Gemayel really wanted” they add. They also argue in a furious way that part of the “conspiracy” against Orfanou‘s candidacy was also the Maronite Representative in the House Mr. Antonis Hajiroussos who was in continuous collaboration and conduct with Archbishop Boutros Gemayel. They also stressed their strong belief that if the Maronite Representative was openly in favor of Vicar Orfanou’ s candidacy and if he was making that clear to the maronite Patriarch things would have certainly been different.

On his behalf the Maronite Representative Antonis Hajiroussos talking exclusively to “T” newspaper fully rejected the allegations addressed by Vicar’s Orfanou advisors. Mr. Hadjirusso stressed that he did not have any involvement in the election process rather than a general letter addressed to the Maronite Patriarch. “In that letter I have just put forward some of the qualities that the new Archbishop should possess. But I did not mention any name and I did not expressed any preference” the Representative added. He also said that his attitude was absolutely clear from the very beginning and that was based on impartiality. “I believe that as the Representative I have to collaborate with any elected Archbishop and that’s why I wanted to stay apart from this process” he concluded. Replying to another question Mr. Hajirousso said that Mgr Yousef Soueif was the person chosen and promoted for the post by Boutros Gemayel since many years ago. “But personally” he added “I met Mgr Soueif only once and that within the frames of a group visit at Tripoli where he was serving as local Vicar”. Replying to special question by “T” newspaper “why didn’t’ he support a Cypriot candidacy” Hadjirousso said that for him the important aspect was the qualities of the new Archbishop and not the nationality.

23/06/2008