The day of the funeral of the former Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir will be a national holiday in Lebanon on Thursday May 16th 2019.
Patriarch Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch and the rest of the Maronite community, announced two days of official mourning on Wednesday May 15th and Thursday May 16th 2019, during which the flags will be dropped on all official departments, public institutions and municipalities.
On the day of the funeral of the late Grand Imam, on Thursday May 16th 2019, all work will be suspended in public administrations, municipalities and public and private institutions.
Sfeir, born in the mountain village of Reifoun in 1920, was elected the Maronite patriarch in 1986 and was invested as a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1994 before retiring as patriarch in 2011.
The cardinal died in Beirut on Sunday may 12th 2019, aged 98.
Pope Francis took note of the cardinal’s death. “A staunch defender of his country’s sovereignty and independence, he will remain a great figure in Lebanon’s history,” the pope said, as reported by Vatican News.
