Election of archbishop of Baghdad of the Armenians, Iraq

The Holy Father has granted his assent to the election by the Synod of the Patriarchal Church of Cilicia of the Armenians of the Reverend Msgr. Nersès (Joseph) Zabbara as archbishop of Baghdad of the Armenians. Msgr. Zabbara is currently apostolic administrator of the same circumscription.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Nersès (Joseph) Zabbara was born on 6 June 1969 in Aleppo, Syria. He carried out his studied in the Armenian Seminary of Aleppo, and subsequently at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained a priest on 31 October 1999 for the archeparchy of Aleppo of the Armenians.

He has held the following offices: deputy parish priests of Saint Barbara, vice-director and director of the Al-Iman College, parish priest of Holy Cross and chaplain in various confraternities, and teacher in the Institute of Christian Theology.

On 27 September 2016 he was appointed as patriarchal administrator of the archeparchy of Baghdad of the Armenians, Iraq, and since 2018 he has served as apostolic administrator of the same circumscription. Between 2019 and 2022 he also held the office of patriarchal exarch of Jerusalem and Amman.

Besides Arabic, he speaks Armenian, Italian and English.