Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa met on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, with the priests of the Latin Patriarchate who work at the Latin ecclesiastical Court in the Kingdom. This is the first meeting of Patriarch Pizzaballa in his capacity as supreme head of the ecclesiastical judiciary with the ecclesiastical judge in Amman.

President of the Latin ecclesiastical Court, Fr. Dr. Jihad Shwaihat welcomed His Beatitude the patriarch  and acquainted him with the activities of the ecclesiastical courts, in addition to the priests and judges who work permanently, namely Fr. Dr. Shawqi Batarian and Fr. Dr. Humam Khzouz who work in the Court of First Instance, and President of the Court of Appeal Fr. Dr. Majdi Siryani. Then, Fr. Shweihat gave a briefing about the activities of these courts, their constant endeavor to serve truth, justice and divine law,  as well as their unstinting follow-up of all the legal changes taking place in the Holy See and the Universal Church. The meetings were attended by part-time priest judges.

According to Fr. Shweihat, 25 priests work in the ecclesiastical courts in Jordan, Jerusalem and the Galilee, and the court in Jordan dealt with 295 cases in 2020 and dealt with 21 annulment cases. His Beatitude expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by the ecclesiastical court in looking at cases with fairness and mercy.

On the other hand, Patriarch Pierbattista expressed his appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Ecclesiastical Court in dealing with cases with fairness and mercy. Discussion also dealt with the intention to apply the principle of “pastoral perspective of pastoral law” which aims at enhancing the public good before getting involved in court handlings. This is supervised by Fr. Dr. Basher Bader who finished his studies in Rome last year specializing in family affairs.

 In affirmation of the partnership and cooperation between judges and lawyers, Patriarch Pizzaballa also met with ecclesiastical lawyers, and expressed his regret that the annual conference of ecclesiastical judges and lawyers will not be held this year.

Patriarch Pizzaballa, accompanied by the Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop William Shomali  and Secretary General of the Vicariate Fr. Imad Alamat, visited the Patriarchate Schools general directorate in Jordan and was received by  General Director of Latin Patriarchate Schools in Jordan Fr. Wissam Mansour and members of staff.

During the meeting, Patriarch Pizzaballa was acquainted with the current situation of schools at the administrative, educational and financial levels, as well as the current impediments and the future outlook. Appreciation was also extended to the Latin Patriarchate for the efforts and the support presented during the Corona pandemic.  School department heads presented a briefing on the status quo and the most prominent issues that have been dealt with during the past year. The meeting concluded by briefing His Beatitude about the five-year plan designed to develop the schools.

Later, Patriarch Pizzaballa visited the Finance Committee office of the Latin Patriarchate in Amman and met with Vice Economo Deacon Jubran Salameh and members of staff. The discussion, focused on the major obstacles, the future plans, and the humanitarian aid presented in Amman.

During the meeting, which was attended by the Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop William Shomali, efforts exerted in promoting the activities of the institutions of the Latin Patriarchate in Jordan were highly appreciated.