Joseph Tawil
| Archbishop Joseph Tawil | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Newton | |
| Church | Melkite Greek Catholic |
| See | Eparchy of Newton |
| In office | March 15, 1970—December 12, 1989 |
| Predecessor | Bishop Justin Najmy |
| Successor | Bishop Ignatius Ghattas |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 20, 1936 |
| Consecration | January 1, 1960 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1913 Damascus, Syria |
| Died | February 17, 1999 Newton, Massachusetts, United States |
| Previous post | Patriarchal Vicar for the See of Damascus |
Archbishop Joseph Tawil (December 25, 1913 – February 17, 1999) was the Melkite Greek Catholic eparch for the United States, teacher and theologian. He is remembered for his participation in the Second Vatican Council, expanding the Melkite Church in the United States, and articulating the unique role of the Eastern Catholic Churches in his 1970 pastoral letter The Courage To Be Ourselves.
Joseph Elias Tawil was born in Damascus, Syria, the son of Elias and Malakie (Salman) Tawil. One of nine children in the family, he was raised in an observant Melkite family; his materinal uncles included Paul Salman, the Archbishop of Petra and all Jordan, and Archimandrite Clement Salman. He studied for the priesthood under the White Fathers in St. Anne's Seminary in Jerusalem. He was ordained as priest on July 20, 1936 and assigned to the Patriarchal College (Al Madrassah Al Batryakiyah) in Cairo, Egypt. For seven years he was a teacher and later dean of the institution. In 1943 he became president/headmaster of the college. He was raised to the dignity of archimandrite by Patriarch Maximos IV Sayegh in 1952 and appointed Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria in 1954 with continued residence in Cairo as head of the college. Tawil continued to lead the Patriarchal College in Cairo until his appointment as Patriarchal Vicar of Damascus on August 29, 1959.
Tawil was consecrated bishop in Damascus on January 1, 1960. While in this position he attended the Second Vatican Council where, as a representative of the Melkite Church, he worked with Patriarch Maximos IV to further understanding and cooperation between the Church of Rome and the Eastern Orthodox Church. In November 1967 Patriarch Maximos IV was succeeded after his death by Archbishop Tawil's friend and predecessor in the Cairo Patriarchal College, Archbishop George Selim Hakim, a native Egyptian who took the name Maximos V. Archbishop Hakim had been the first Archbishop of Nazareth and all Galilee and had been the guide for Pope Paul VI on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land at the beginning of his reign.
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