BEIRUT, December 8, 2012
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The appointment came during a meeting at Balamand monastery in Koura, North Lebanon. Esper currently serves as the metropolitan of three southern provinces of Syria: Hawran, Jabal al-Arab and the Golan.
The Patriarch's funeral was held Sunday at noon at St. Nicolas Church in Ashrafieh, Beirut.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared Sunday an official day of mourning over the patriarch’s death.
Lebanese leaders have described Hazim’s death as a loss for Lebanon and the region and praised his role as a religious leader who believed in the principle of coexistence.
