Pope Leo XIV Sends a Maronite from Beirut to the United Nations as Israeli Troops Hold Southern Lebanon

Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis is the first Arab country prelate ever to represent a pope at the UN, and the first Eastern Catholic in the job.

Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis presents a copy of his credentials as the first apostolic nuncio to the United Arab Emirates at the foreign ministry in Abu Dhabi in March 2023. Pope Leo XIV named him the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations on Saturday. (U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

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