Palestinian Archbishop appointed as J'lem leader of Roman Catholic Church

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Roman Catholic Church in the holy land has a new leader - the second Palestinian to hold the post. Archbishop Fouad Twal, 67, succeeds Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah in the Jerusalem-based position. Sabbah was the first Palestinian appointed to the post. Sabbah retired after 21 years as patriarch. Twal told a ceremony in Jerusalem, "I am receiving from our Holy Church the responsibility of guiding our beloved Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Mother of all Churches," his office said Sunday. Twal, who was born in Jordan, was named as Sabbah's assistant in 2005. He has served in Vatican diplomatic posts in Honduras, Germany and Peru, and studied church law in Rome's prestigious Pontifical Lateranense University.