Elias Shakur was formally elevated to a bishopric of the local Greek Catholic church yesterday, thereby becoming the first Israeli citizen ever to hold this post.
Shakur, 67, is an Arab Israeli born in the Galilee village of Biram.
Until now, the local Greek Catholic bishops have generally been citizens of Lebanon, Syria or Egypt. In 1999, Boutrous Mualem, who was also born in the Galilee, became a bishop, but Mualem spent most of life in Lebanon and South America. Shakur, in contrast, has lived most of his life here.
The ceremony, which took place at a church that Shakur himself built at the Mar Elias campus in Kafr A'avlin, near Shfaram, was attended by all the leaders of the church in Israel, headed by Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah as the Vatican's representative. Two bishops from Lebanon and Jordan also attended, representing the Greek Catholic patriarch in Damascus, as did representatives of the local Muslim and Druze communities and of the Palestinian Authority.
However, no representatives of the Israeli government were present.
Shakur holds a master's degree in Bible and Talmud from Hebrew University, as well as a Ph.D. in Christian philosophy from the University of Geneva. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times on account of his work for tolerance and coexistence between Jews and Arabs and has received numerous prizes for this activity.
In his inaugural speech yesterday, which was broadcast live on Lebanese satellite television, Shakur pledged to work for a better future not only for members of his own community, but also for all Israeli citizens, and particularly Israeli Arabs. He also urged the Israeli government in Hebrew to grant equality and justice to Israeli Arabs and to advance the peace process.