Bishop Baïssari dies poor, but rich in Christian virtues
Beirut (AsiaNews) - He died like his teacher, like his brother and friend Jesus, poor in things but rich in Christian virtues. Bishop Francis Baïssari was a man of heart, a beloved man. Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi led his funeral service yesterday before a large crowd.
In his homily, the patriarch remembered his sense of humor, his good nature and his talent as a storyteller, which had conquered John Paul II, something that can be seen in a picture in which he is holding the head of a bishop, and kissing his bald crown during the Synod for Lebanon, in 1995.
Those who knew him and were by his side until the end remember a man whose joy could be contagious. He died, said Card Rahi, reciting Psalm 122: "I rejoiced when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'"
Born in Qnat, Francis Baïssari was ordained priest in 1962. He began his service in the Diocese of Batrun, teaching philosophy in local schools, before becoming its bishop, for 27 years.
As a professor, as a priest and as a bishop, has trained a generation of Lebanese to love the Church, Lebanon and everything that is right, constantly filling the gap between the Maronite Church and its elites.
It was therefore no coincidence that he translated into Arabic the fundamental texts of the great Council, the main ecclesial event of the 20th Century according to John Paul II, with his fellow priestly league members Abdo Khalife and Youssef Bechara, who later became bishops.
His ministry, in many respects, anticipated Pope Francis' own down-to-earth style. "I go to find the faithful wherever they are," he used to say.
In the two dioceses where he served -Batrun and Hadeth el-Joubbé - his love for the poor was legendary. He took particular care of his priests. In Joubbé, he ordained 32 of them, with whom he shared all things, which became very little in recent years. (FN)
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