Issam Fares, the First Lebanese Personality Honored by Patriarch Hazim with the Order of Sts. Peter& Paul

Fares: Our Message is to Bridge the Gap between the Islamic and the Western Worlds

His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim of Antioch and All The East bestowed upon His Excellency former Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Issam Fares the Order of Sts. Peter and Paul in an prestigious event held by the Metropolitan of New York and His Eminence the Most Reverend Philip Saliba, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America.

Mr. Fares is the first Lebanese figure to be granted this Order, in appreciation of H.B. Patriarch Hazim of the significant role Fares played in power and in all arenas, and in acknowledgment of the Orthodox Patriarch to the innumerable humanitarian and social achievements Fares relentlessly realized.

The remarkable event was held in New York in the presence of Mrs. Hala Fares, the wife of His Excellency, and Mr. Fares' sons Michael, Nijad, Fares, and Miss Noor Issam Fares. Among the attendees were Lebanon's Ambassador Antoine Chedid representing His Excellency the President of the Republic Mr. Michel Sleiman, the Congressman of Lebanese descent Mr. Darrell Issa, the representative of Lebanon to the United Nations Mr. Nawaf Salam, and a number of US diplomats, as well as the heads of the Christian and Muslim communities and the clergy in North America, and a large number of ambassadors, personalities, members of the Lebanese community, and the family's friends.

The event, run by Archbishop Saliba, started by observing a minute of silence for the victims who lost their lives during the Achrafieh blast which was strongly condemned by Fares who said, 'I express my deep sympathy towards the families of the victims of the blast that occurred today. I decry and denounce this violence'.

Mr. Darrel Issa, the Congressman of Lebanese origin, lauded the double role played by Fares as a Lebanese businessman in Lebanon and in the United States, highly praising his charitable and humanitarian organizations. Issa declared, 'We came here to honor Issam Fares for the numberless services he offered to Lebanon and the Lebanese, and to acclaim his achievements and contributions for the creation of job opportunities in the United States through his institutions'.

Mr. Issa also paid tribute to the sons of Mr. Fares who are pursuing the role of their virtuous father in the United States.

In an address to Patriarch Hazim, Fares revealed a decision to open a branch for the Balamand University in the United States, and said that the message of the Orthodox Church now is grounded on bridging the gap between the Islamic and the western worlds.

Archbishop Saliba took the floor, elaborately lauding the qualifications of Fares as a successful businessman and politician who held contacts and built up bridges with the Arab world, Europe, and America, and praising his role in realizing the political entente in the aftermath of the Lebanese war, rebuilding his country and promoting its ties with the international community, and tirelessly endeavoring to achieve a just and permanent peace in the Middle East as a preamble for the restoration of the economic stability and prosperity of a democratic Lebanon.

In his address, His Beatitude Patriarch Hazim lauded the generous contributions of Fares and his charitable and humanitarian achievements in assisting the church and serving his people, paying tribute to his role in supporting the educational institutions and universities. The Patriarch declared, 'the human being's realizations in his lifetime are much more important than his words. The Bible says the human being is known for his actions, and what His Excellency Mr. Issam Fares has been relentlessly doing to the citizens of his country is very significant on all levels. This is why we are reunited today to bestow on him the Order of Sts. Peter and Paul. This Order is granted for the first time to an Orthodox personality in Lebanon, and we are granting it to Fares in recognition of his contributions to Lebanon'.

Following his address, Patriarch Hazim offered to Mrs. Hala Issam Fares a gift of estimate and appreciation.

Later, Mr. Fares conveyed his thanks to Patriarch Ignatius for this great honor he bestowed on him and on his family. 'I was granted myriad awards from states, universities, and social and economic institutions. However, the Order bestowed on me by the head of my church, my close friend, and the big spiritual leader the Patriarch of Antioch and All The East whom I highly respect, occupies a special place in my heart and decorates my chest with the honor of belonging to the Orthodox community with a glorious history in the Arab Mashreq, the Arab diaspora, and all over the world.

Fares lauded the distinguished role played by Patriarch Ignatius who is the only one in the sect's history to have founded the university, insisting that it be Lebanese, Arab, and regional, open and exposed to the world. The modest hill of Balamand in Koura expanded and emitted its aroma to Beirut, to Souq el Gharb, to Akkar, and here are areas in Lebanon and Syria racing, imploring his Beatitude to let the university access their homes'.

Fares revealed that he agreed with Archbishop Saliba on opening a branch of the Balamand University in the United States that would be up to the level of an Institute of Higher Studies that would attract students and researchers from the Americas, and thus, relations would be boosted between the mother country and the international community.