Charbel Abdallah

Charbel Yusef Abdallah
Born	(1967-02-17) February 17, 1967 Hajjeh, Lebanon
Occupation	Maronite Catholic Archeparch
Years active	1992–present
Known for	Archeparch of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre

Charbel Yusef Abdallah (Arabic: شربل عبد الله, born on 17 February 1967 in Hajjeh, Lebanon) currently serves as the Archeparch of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre.

Life

Originating from Hajjéh in the Sidon district of Southern Lebanon, within the jurisdiction of the Maronite Archeparchy of Tyre, Abdallah was named in honor of Saint Charbel Makhlouf. He completed his theological studies at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, obtaining a licentiate degree in Theology in 1992, the same year he was ordained to the priesthood. He was officially incardinated into the Archeparchy of Tyre and ministered as parish priest at Saint Joseph churches located in Hajjeh and Kfarwa.

Between 1994 and 1996, Abdallah held the position of General Secretary for the Archeparchy and directed local Caritas operations until 1998. From 1997 through 1999, he served as Spiritual Director at the Patriarchal Seminary in Ghazir. After earning a licentiate in philosophy from Lebanese University, he achieved a doctorate in theology with a specialization in liturgy from Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg in 2003. While residing in France, he also fulfilled duties as assistant parish priest at Notre-Dame du Liban and Notre-Dame d'Auteuil parishes in Paris.

Upon his return to Lebanon in 2003, Abdallah was appointed Episcopal Vicar responsible for pastoral care and took on the role of parish priest at Our Lady of the Seas church in Tyre. Following the 2006 Lebanon War, he played a key role coordinating relief initiatives for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association throughout Christian communities in South Lebanon, collaborating closely with representatives from the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

In 2010, Abdallah was named Protosyncellus of Tyre. After Archeparch El-Hage resigned in October 2020, Abdallah was chosen by the Maronite Patriarchal Synod to succeed him and subsequently received papal confirmation. The announcement of his election occurred on November 1, with his episcopal consecration taking place on December 5. The ceremony was presided over by Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, with co-consecrators including his predecessor El-Hage and Bishop Maroun Ammar of Sidon.

Works

• Le traite du Patriarche Douaihy sur l'aménagement des églises Maronites. A doctoral dissertation examining the design and sacred spatial arrangement of Maronite churches in Lebanon based on Patriarch Stephane Douaihy's "Traite des Eglises" and "Traite de l'Autel."
• L'architecture d'une église Maronite selon le Patriarche Douaïhy (1630-1704), published in Parole de l'Orient 29 (2004), pages 61–81