He considered that this announcement, which coincides with the centenary of the proclamation of Lebanon’s Constitution, represents a “sign of divine providence” that accompanied the newly beatified figure, who worked to consolidate the idea of Greater Lebanon as a “homeland of coexistence among different sects within its historical and civilizational borders.”

The President of the Republic expressed hope that Lebanese people, of all affiliations, would draw inspiration from the spirit of action that distinguished the newly beatified figure, in a way that strengthens Lebanon’s position as a “focus of attention for the Holy See and the world,” and contributes to its resilience in the face of current challenges.

Papal decrees including new martyrs and venerable figures

The Pope authorized the issuance of six decrees from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, which included the declaration of the martyrs of Santander and the Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Elias Hoayek as blessed.

Several religious figures were also declared “venerable,” including the Salesian missionary Costantino Vendrami, the Cameroonian Carmelite brother Jean Thierry, the Spanish nun Maria Ana Alberdi Etchazarreta, and the Capuchin friar Nazarino da Pula.

Miracle of healing dating back to 1965

The approved miracle for the beatification of Patriarch Hoayek dates back to 1965 and involves the healing of army officer Naif Abu Assi, a Muslim from the Druze Unitarian sect, from chronic “bilateral spondylolysis,” after he woke up completely healed following a dream in which he saw Patriarch Hoayek.

Biography of the new blessed

Patriarch Elias Hoayek was born on December 4, 1843, in the Lebanese village of Halta. He entered the seminary at the age of sixteen before moving to Rome to study theology, where he was ordained a priest in 1870.

After returning to Lebanon, he founded, in cooperation with Mother Rosalie Nasr in the village of Aabri, the “Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family,” the first female religious congregation with an apostolic life in the Maronite Church.