Lebanon’s diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church elected a new primate.

“On Monday 7 October 2013, the Diocesan Council of Lebanon met at St. Nishan Church in Beirut to elect a new Primate from a short list of three names. The Council elected Bishop Shahé Panossian who had the highest number of votes,” says the statement issued by the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia.

The Bishop, who joined the brotherhood in 1971, was ordained as deacon in 1976 and priest in 1980. From 1982-2006 he served, variously, as pastor of the Prelacy of Thessaloniki (Greece), and in the prelacies of Florida, Chicago and New Jersey in the United States of America.

In 2006, Very Reverend Panossian returned to Lebanon as the Dean of the Seminary until 2011. In 2008 he was ordained Bishop and since 2011, he has been Pontifical Vicar for Kuwait and the countries of the Gulf.

Former Primate, Archbishop Gegham Khacheryan resigned on October 2.