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His Eminence ==Early Life==On the Most Reverend Metropolitan '''Paul (Saliba) of Australia and New Zealand''' (born [[July 10|tenth of July]], 1939) is Badih Saliba was born in Bsarma El-Koura, in the current northern part of Lebanon. Some have speculated on relations with Metropolitan [[primatePhilip (Saliba) of New York|Philip (Saliba)]] of on the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese basis of Australia their surnames and New Zealand]]similar vocation; but aside from being members of the Saliba tribe, well-known in the Levant for over 800 years, they are not especially related.

{{stub}}==Tertiary Education==Badih enrolled at Seminary College, [[Balamand Orthodox Theological Seminary (Tripoli, Lebanon)|Balamand]], in 1952 with the support of Metropolitan Abourjeili. Five years later, he was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]] with the name of Paul and sent to the [[seminary]] on Patmos, Greece. A year later, he was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[deacon]] by Metropolitan Abourjeili and went to the University of Athens for further theological studies. 1963 saw Deacon Paul graduate and serve in Tripoli under Metropolitan [[Elias (Kurban) of Tripoli]]. Dcn Paul was appointed teacher to Orthodox schools, member of the spiritual court and secretary to the diocesan board. In 1965, [[Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch|Ignatius (Hazim)]], the [[superior]] of Balamand Monastery (now Patriarch of Antioch), appointed Dcn Paul as teacher at the Balamand Orthodox Theological Seminary. The next year, Metropolitan Elias ordained him to the [[priest]]hood and, in the same service, made him an [[archimandrite]]. ==America==After two more years, in 1968, Archimandrite Paul left Lebanon for the [[Orthodoxy in America|USA]]. He was assigned by Metropolitan Philip to St Ellien's Church in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and enrolled in a Bachelor of World Civilisations programme at Pittsburg University, graduating in 1970, whereupon he began a course in Education. In the same year, Archim. Paul was moved to a church in New Kensington and began a doctorate in World Civilisations. Only three of the four components of the doctorate were completed, but he graduated from his course in Education in 1972. In 1979, Archim. Paul was moved to Washington, D.C., where, in response to the needs of his flock, he completed an 18 month course as a drug and alcohol counsellor. Archim. Paul began a weekly radio programme in 1989 and a weekly TV programme in 1990. While the radio programme ended in 1995, the TV programme is still running to the present day. ==Metropolitan Archbishop== On the [[October 5|fifth of October]], 1999, Archimandrite Paul was elected Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania, and was consecrated on the [[October 10|10th]] in Damascus, Syria. He arrived in Australia in early December 1999 and has led the [[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand]] to the present day. The tenure of Metr. Abp Paul has seen a rapid growth in parishes, clergy and the use of English in the Divine Liturgy of Antiochian Orthodox parishes. From approximately six parishes at his arrival in December 1999, the total at December 2007 stood at 34 parishes or missions and 1 monastery served by 42 clergymen, including two university [[chaplain]]s and one military chaplain. In 2008, Metr. Abp Paul received into the Archdiocese two denominations in the Philippines, almost doubling the number of parishes (an additional 32) and adding ~6000 adherents to the Orthodox faith.

before=[[Gibran (RamlaouiRamlawey) of Australia and New Zealand|Gibran (RamlaouiRamlawey)]]|title=Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia and New Zealand (Antiochian)|years=1999-2008|after=&mdash;}}{{succession|before=&mdash;|title=Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia,<br>New Zealand and the Philippines (Antiochian)|years=2008-present|

*[http://www.antiochianarch.org.au Archdiocesan website]*[http://www.antiochian.org.au/biography.html content/view/4/22/ Official biographyBiography] from the former website of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand website

[[Category:Orthodoxy_in_Australia20th-21st-century bishops]][[Category:Orthodoxy_in_New_ZealandOrthodoxy in Australia]][[Category:Orthodoxy in New Zealand]][[Category:University of Athens Theology School Graduates]]