Dom Roberto Francisco Ferreria Paz during his homily at the solemn investiture of knights and dames in Brazil
The official trip to Brazil was a huge success. The creation of the Grand Priory of Brazil of the Sacred Order of Saint Michael Archangel and the investiture of sixteen knights and two dames was unforgettable according to the audience.
HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor was blessed by the support of the Catholic Church in Brazil by having His Most Reverend Excellency Dom Roberto Francisco Ferreria Paz as the Grand Chaplain General for the whole country.
Dom Roberto Francisco Ferrería Paz is a Catholic bishop, head of the Diocese of Campos, Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil. He did his philosophy studies at the Major Seminary of Our Lady of the Conception in Viamão. Studies of Theology at the Institute of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, and also at the Theological Institute of the Archdiocese of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro. He obtained a specialization in History at the University of Montevideo, and the Masters in Canon Law at the Archdiocesan Institute of Canon Law of Rio de Janeiro. Moreover, got specializations in Notaries Ecclesiasticus, Catholic Matrimonial Law, further training for judges and Ecclesiastical Courts, Bioethics, Research Ethics, Spirituality, Bioethics and religious traditions. He was ordained priest on December 16, 1989. Was a professor of Canon Law and Ecclesiastical Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul and the Theological Institute of St John Vianney
(CETJOV) in Viamão Seminar, 1990-1996. Judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, 1990-2006 and Judicial Vicar of the Regional Interdiocesan Court of Appeal since 2006. He was president of the Archdiocesan Commission for Social Communications. On December 19,
2007 was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Niterói with acacia titular. On February 22, 2008 was ordained bishop in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Porto Alegre, by Archbishop Alano Maria Pena. Don Roberto
chose as episcopal motto of life: In libertatem vocati estis. On June 8, 2011 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him bishop for the Diocese of Campos.
HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor with Dom Fernando Rifan
The prince also received the valuable support from Catholic Bishop Dom Fernando Areas Rifan, a proud Lebanese descendant. His Excellency The Right Reverend
Fernando Arêas Rifan is the Titular Bishop of Cedamusa and the Apostolic Administrator of the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney, which is also called the Priestly Union of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney.
HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor will visit the city of Campos (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) for a week next month. He was invited to speak about the situation in the Middle East in five venues: at UCAM – Candido Mendes University (Latin America’s oldest private University founded in 1902), at the Fluminense Federal Institute (Technical Faculty), at the City Parliament (founded in 1652), the Maria Imaculada Diocesan Seminary and at the Imaculada Conceicao Catholic Seminary. In the visit, Prince Gharios will inaugurate the Grand Priory of Brazil for the Sacred Order of Saint Michael Archangel investing the first knights and dames. The prince will also visit government representatives and the Açu Port. HIRH Prince Gharios is a 5th Dan (degree of black belt) in Aikido and will also minister a Seminar with his top student Sensei Bernardo Caneca Pereira 3rd Dan. Below the event’s poster and program in Portuguese.
HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor with Mr. Yousif Buzaboon (left) and Dr. Abdulatif Al Khaja (right)
On the 16th and 17th of July, in Amman, capital of Jordan, HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemormet with two representatives from the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Mr. Yousif Buzaboon is the chairman of the Bahrain Society for Religious Coexistence & Tolerance and Dr. Abdulatif Al Khaja, member of the board of the same society , also known Middle Eastern diplomat and executive of several companies in the countries of the GCC .
Prince Gharios El Chemor offered the visitors a dinner at the Little Italy restaurant, one of the best Italian restaurants in the Middle East. Meetings resumed at the Sheraton Hotel in Amman.
The purpose of the meetings is the attempt to create a cooperation between the Royal House of Ghassan with all its organizations, the Bahrain Society for Religious Coexistence & Tolerance and the Kingdom of Bahrain. The scope of this cooperation is the establishment of an official annual event to be held in Bahrain and a practical yearly agenda to promote effective tolerance and coexistence in the Middle East.
At the dinner with the dignitaries from Bahrain (left) and representatives from the Royal House of Ghassan in Jordan, Miss Reham Makhlouf and in Bahrain, Mr. Mohammed Zackarias
HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor with His Excellency Mor Filiksinos Yusuf Çetin in Istanbul
The Syrian (Syriac) Orthodox Church was the original denomination of the Ghassanids until the 7th Century. With the fall of the first Ghassanid State in Syria and Jordan, many Ghassanids fled to today’s Lebanon and also to the Byzantine empire (today’s Turkey). The Royal family ended up adhering to the mainstream Orthodox denomination living in the Byzantine Empire. In the 9th century, the second Ghassanid ruling happened with emperor Nikephoros I in 802 CE. In Mount Lebanon, the family kept the Syriac Orthodox roots. However, the monks of Mar Maroun (Saint Maroun) monastery decided in the 7th century to create a new Patriarchate and that was how the Ghassanids became Maronite. Because of the obedience of the Maronites to the Pope in Rome and the absence of a Maronite church in Curitiba (Brazil) where Prince Gharios’ family was settled in exile, he ended up becoming Roman Catholic.
As part of a very successful trip to Istanbul, HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor and his delegation have visited the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan and Patriarchal Vicar for Istanbul and Ankara His Excellency Mor Filiksinos Yusuf Çetin. In the end of the audience, Prince Gharios was Blessed by the Metropolitan in his mission protecting the Christians in the Middle East.
HIRH Prince Gharios and delegation being Blessed by the Metropolitan
HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor with His All Holiness Bartholomew IThe Ecumenical Patriarch received the order of Saint Michael Archangel
HIRH Prince Gharios El-Chemor had an official audience with His All Holiness Bartholomew I the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinoplein Istanbul, Turkey. His All Holiness is the highest in honor (“first among equals”) between all of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Church representing over 300 million faithful. The two hours long conversation was focused on the history of the Ghassanid and Nikephorian (Byzantine empire) Dynasties which HIRH Prince Gharios is the legal heir and, of course, the main topic was the survival of the Christians in the Middle East and Prince Gharios’ proposal of the Council of Oriental Christians. During the visit, Prince Gharios and the delegation composed by the scholar and protestant bishop Prof. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, PhD, Mr. Martin Warnecke (both from Germany) and Pastor Dr. Behnan Konutgan (from Turkey) were invited for a special luncheon with the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Synod of Bishops.
Prince Gharios was honored by the personal Patriarchal Blessing. Historically in Christianity, only the Patriarchs of Rome (Pope) and Constantinople may grant and recognize imperial titles (see Royal and Republican Sovereignty in Early Modern Europe, Cambridge University Press, pg.360)
HIRH Prince Gharios and the delegation were listed as official visitors HERE
THE ROYAL HERALD 