Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem (Syrian)
The Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Antioch of the Syrians has elected as exarch for Syrian faithful in Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan the Reverend Camil Afram Antoine Semaan, currently parish administrator of the same circumscription, to which the Holy Father had granted his assent, assigning him the titular see of Hierapolis of the Syrians. Reverend Camil Afram Antoine Semaan The Reverend Camil Afram Antoine Semaan was born in Beirut on 2 May 1980. He carried out his primary and secondary studies at the “Mar Bahnam Al Fanhar” Institute in Beirut. He continued his institutional studies in philosophy and theology at the “Holy Spirit University of Kaslik”, Lebanon, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree. In 2011 he was awarded a licentiate in canon law form the “La Sagesse” University in Beirut. He was ordained a priest on 24 June 2006 by the Patriarch His Beatitude Abdel-Ahad. From 2006 to 2016 he was parish vicar, secretary to the Patriarch, patriarchal chancellor, and member of the patriarchal tribunal. Since 2016 he has served as assistant to Msgr. Grégoire Boutros Melki, in the patriarchal exarchate of Jerusalem. On 20 November 2019, the Patriarch His Beatitude Ignace Youssef Younan appointed him as administrator of the same exarchate, following the resignation of Msgr. Melki.