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Died 17 December 2016, Rome, Italy | ||
Edmond Farhat (20 May 1933 – 17 December 2016) was a Lebanese Apostolic nuncio, a diplomatic representative of the Holy See.
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Life
Farhat was born in Ain Kfaa, Lebanon in 1933. He was a bishop of the Maronite Church who was engaged by many years in the papal diplomacy. On March 28, 1959, the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch Paul Peter Meouchi consecrated him priest. He graduated in theology, philosophy and canon law in Paris and Rome. Edmond Farhat became a doctor of theology. Farhat between 1967 and 1989 worked as undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in Rome and from 1970 to 1989 as Professor of Islamic Law at the University of Sassari (Italy). Pope Paul VI awarded him on 26 February 1971 as honorific chaplain of His Holiness (Monsignor). On November 25, 1983 Farhat was awarded by Pope John Paul II as Honorary Prelate of His Holiness.
He was firstly on August 26, 1989 appointed apostolic delegate for Libya, Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Tunisia and Algeria and named by Pope John Paul II titular archbishop of Byblus. On October 20, 1989 Farhat was ordained bishop by Pope John Paul II and his co-consecrators were Edward Cassidy, Titular archbishop of Amantia and Francesco Colasuonno, Titular bishop of Truentum. On July 26, 1995 Farhat was named Nuncio to Slovenia and Macedonia. In Macedonia he worked as mediator of diplomatic relations between the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the young Republic, which thus the Order officially recognized. On December 11, 2001 he served as nuncio to Turkmenistan and Turkey and on July 26, 2005 he succeeded for reasons of age Archbishop Giorgio Zur as apostolic nuncio to Austria.
On 14 January 2009, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Farhat's age-related resignation as Apostolic Nuncio in Austria. Farhat however remained in the office until March 15, 2009. He died in Rome on 17 December 2016.
Work
Farhat is considered an expert of the situation of the Middle East. He said during his tenure in Turkey for accession of Turkey to the European Union he was warned in strong terms a compliance with the freedom of religion in the Turkish secular state. In Turkey acts of violence and death threats against Christians were on the agenda, and suppression of Christian intellectuals is not uncommon.