Met. Siluan (Muci) Appointed Patriarchal Vicar for North America

From earlier posts on this blog about Met. Siluan-- 
His friendship with Pope Francis
Fr. Touma (Bitar)'s praise of Met. Siluan as being an ideal candidate for patriarch.


From Antiochian.org, here:

Patriarchal Decision # 19

We, JOHN X, the Orthodox Christian Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, according to the provisions of the Primary Rule of the Antiochian See of 1973, especially its articles 28 and 29, the Rules of Procedure of the See of 1983, especially articles 61, 64, 65, and 66, and also according to the constitution of the Archdiocese of North America which was approved by the Holy Antiochian Synod at its thirty-seventh Synodal meeting that took place at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Damascus, 13-15 of October 2004, especially the first article, fifth item (5: paragraph a, b, c, d), We decided:

Article 1:
The appointment of His Eminence Metropolitan SILOUAN (Moussi) of Buenos Aires and all Argentina as the Patriarchal Vicar in the Archdiocese of New York and All North America.

Article 2:
The Patriarchal Vicar executes all the tasks entrusted to him according to the Ecclesial Canons, the aforementioned rules, and the rules of the Patriarchate of Antioch.

Article 3:
This decision is effective immediately, is to be published, and is to be promulgated to all concerned.
Patriarchal Headquarters in Balamand

March 20, 2014
Patriarch JOHN X,
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East 



The official biography of Met. Siluan, from here:

Metropolitan Silouan was born in Maracay, Venezuela, in 1967, from a Lebanese father, Jaudat Muci, and a Syrian Mother, Souad Georges. He has one brother and a sister.

He graduated in 1985 from the College des Frères de la Salle in Tripoli, Lebanon. Then, he studied engineering at the École Supérieure d´Ingénieurs de Beyrouth (E.S.I.B.) of Saint Joseph University in Beirut, from where he graduated in 1990 as an electrical engineer with major in Computer Engineering. He worked in Beirut and Paris as analyst and chief project in developing software for Banks and Financial Institutions in the Middle East and Europe.

He resigned from work at the end of 1994, and started studying theology by correspondence at the Saint Serge Institute in Paris, before traveling to Thessalonica, Greece, in 1995 where he studied theology at the Faculty of Theology of Aristotle University. He graduated with honors with a bachelor (2000) and a master (2001) in Theology.

He was ordained to the deaconate in 1996 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Youhanna of Lattakia, Syria, and to the holy priesthood in 2000, with the rank of Archimandrite, by Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, Alexandretta, and Dependencies. Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch of thrice-blessed memory consecrated him to the holy episcopate in October 2006.

He served as a priest in 2001 for a short time in Sydney Australia, under His Eminence, Metropolitan Paul of Australia, New Zealand and Philippines. Later on, he served in Aleppo under His Eminence, Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo until his election by the Holy Synod of Antioch as Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and all Argentina, which he is serving since December 2006.

Metropolitan Silouan has dual nationality, Venezuelan and Lebanese. He is fluent in Arabic, French, English, Greek and Spanish. He translated into Arabic books on Orthodox spirituality such as “The Life of Saint John of Kronstadt” (Balamand, 1998); “The Life and Writings of Saint Nil Sorsky” (Balamand, 1999); “The Interpretation of the Divine Liturgy” (Balamand, 1999); “The History of Balamand Monastery” (under publication); and “The Interpretation of the Epistle of Saint Paul to Philemon” (Balamand, 2004). He also published these books in Arabic: “The Mystery of the Incarnation” (Al Nour, 2006); “The Mystery of the Resurrection” (Al Nour, 2006); “The Mystery of the Passion” (Al Nour, 2007). He is author of numerous unpublished articles and translations in Spanish.

In addition, Metropolitan Silouan is member of the “Synodal Committee of Candidates to the office of Metropolitanate and Episcopacy”. He is also president of the Ecumenical Commission of Christian Churches in Argentina (C.E.I.C.A.). He was secretary of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in South America. He represented His Beatitude, Patriarch John X of Antioch in March 2013 at the enthronement of His Holiness, Pope Francis in the Vatican, and in early March 2014 at the Synaxis of the Primates of Orthodox Churches in Constantinople (Istanbul). Patriarch JOHN X appointed him as the Patriarchal Vicar of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America on March 20^th to administer the Archdiocese until the election of a new metropolitan by the Holy Synod of Antioch.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip of thrice-memory, invited Metropolitan Silouan to attend the 50^thArchdiocesan Convention in Chicago in 2011, the 17^th Clergy Symposium in 2012 held at the Antiochian Village, and the 51^st Archdiocesan Convention in Houston in 2013. The Word Magazine published his addresses to the assembly on these occasions.