A Week Prior to His Ordination a Bishop
Patriarchal Media Director Father Joseph Bali:
“I am a true Syriac Orthodox when I am open to other churches,
I will continue to do my duty in my church to provide Christian media”
Interview by Huguette Salameh
Translated by Mary Yahchouchy
“Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” (Matthew 25:23), Father Joseph Bali is a colleague and friend who will be taking on greater responsibility as he will be ordained a Bishop on the 25th of next June by Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II in the Church of Our Virgin Lady at the Patriarchal Headquarters in Atchaneh - Lebanon, with Father Roger Akhras and Father Kyrollos Babi.
Father Joseph Bali, the faithful servant, holding a BA in Physics and a MA in Philosophy, joined St. Ephrem the Syriac Theological Seminary in Maarrat Saydnaya. After the monastic iskem in 2008, he was ordained a priest in 2011 and earned the Holy Cross in 2013. In 2015 His Holiness the Patriarch appointed him as Patriarchal Secretary and Patriarchal Media Director. He completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Athens in Greece and obtained a PHD in Philosophy in 2017 with distinction. And today, in 2021, he is being ordained a Bishop, basis of the pledge of allegiance as Peter and Paul.
Blessed is the pledge of allegiance that accepted him and blessed are the bearers of the message of the Church media, for their prayers are always with us. The duty of media today requires a lot of prayer in order to succeed in facing challenges and be able to take on greater responsibilities in a time of imbalance and repercussions of crises!
In a brief meeting, we asked our friend some questions that came to mind after hearing the good news, and these were his answers.
His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II will ordain you a Bishop next week. You might be one of the youngest Bishops in the East, if not the youngest. What does this decision mean to you and how do you see the future and this responsibility in light of the pressing circumstances today on many levels?
This question reminds me of the words of St. Paul addressing his disciple Timothy: “Let no one have contempt for your youth” (1 Timothy 4:12), What gives me courage is that I am fully aware that I am young and inexperienced, and I have a lot to work on in order to fulfill my duty in lights of this new responsibility and the important position the Lord is bestowing upon me by His grace. I set out with a renewed soul, strengthened by the Spirit of God, bearing in mind that I must be “an example in speech, conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity” (Continuity of 1 Timothy 4:12). Of course, the conditions our Christian community is going through - whether in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, or in the whole world - are very difficult, the like of which the region has not witnessed before. This puts all of us, the clergy, in great responsibility to present to all the children of the Church and the people of the country a true Christian testimony with our actions and words, especially our actions and relations with each other. I look to the future with the hope given to us through our faith in Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead and conquered death. With this hope, all difficulties will vanish so that we can together - as members of one body, the Church - remove the obstacles that the world places before us today, so that we may be true children of life and witnesses of Christ in the East, and from the East to the world.
From physics to philosophy and theology to media, how did your scientific and professional career change and why?
Whoever chooses to study physics is not a person looking for financial benefit, fame, or the acquisition of wealth. A person who is passionate about science because of the logic and principles of movement and what the universe is made of. In my physics studies, I found that I was still searching for something more, something higher than what is earthly in this world. I decided to dive into philosophical ideas, especially the science of logic, which refines thinking, strengthens conclusion, and straightens human mentality. The person who studies philosophy moves away from superficial thinking to delve deeper into the meanings of things, trying to reach and study Truth. While studying logic and philosophy, I found that the Lord calls me to something more. He wanted me to get to know Him with the depth of spirituality. This is when I understood that I would not be satisfied with serving the Church as a deacon as I used to do, but that I wanted complete devotion to the Lord and to the service of His Church, and I decided to live in the newness of the monastic life, in the love of God and the quest for the salvation of the soul. My life passed through many different stages through which I gained many experiences and put them at the service of the children of the Church.
What do you think of religious and ecclesiastical media in Eastern churches today? Will you pursue your interests in strengthening and developing the role of the media in the Church as you assume your new responsibility?
The Corona pandemic has pushed all churches together to use media and social media to spread the word of God to all people. I say this because the ecclesiastical media has been very active recently with the spread of Corona, which has strengthened relations between believers eliminating geographical, social, national obstacles and more.
Out of my responsibility as Patriarchal Media Director in our venerable Patriarchate, I will continue to perform my duty in my church to provide Christian Media material not only to the children of our Syriac Church, but to all believers. I feel that my media mission is growing and increasing. I ask God to bless this service so that it will be fruitful to harvest more believers for the House of the Lord and more active members for the Church.
What is, in your opinion, the role of young people in setting roots in the East, is there a certain plan to strengthen their role in the Syriac Orthodox Church?
His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II says that the youth are the present and the future of the Church. In fact, young people make the Church's heart beat and renew its mission. They are the energy that we must use to build. They are like flowers that need great care to keep blooming brightly.
In our Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate, His Grace Bishop Anthimos Jack Yacoub, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Formation, works to provide services for young people that include Christian education and upbringing they obtain through meetings, lectures, and all activities. I am honored to cooperate with him to provide services through our Media Department with all its capabilities, for the glory of the Lord and the growth of the Church. Thus, we present together a testimony for the People of the East to remain rooted in the land of our fathers and grandfathers, but also to learn about the richness of our oriental heritage and become attached to it. Likewise, we offer the Christian youth in the diaspora the possibility to learn about traditions, rites, authentic roots and the history of our churches in order to adhere to them, and even spread them in the societies among which they live.
Will the message of strengthening the ecumenical spirit be among your priorities in the future? and how? What about cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches?
Through my responsibility as patriarchal secretary, and before becoming a bishop, I worked in the ecumenical field by arranging and organizing ecumenical meetings and participating in many of them. I noticed that the most important thing in ecumenical work is to be honestly open towards other churches, without being ashamed of our Church's identity and without detracting from the ancient history of our Church.
Today, the responsibility is greater, and we are heading towards a future that does not allow isolation, but rather requires openness as a necessary factor for survival. After our number has decreased in the Middle East in general, it has become necessary to search for common points and to unify our efforts by unifying the vision and the basic concept of Christian testimony.
Today we are witnessing great cooperation between Churches, and in my opinion, it will last and develop. As for me, I will go by my personal conviction that I am a true Syriac Orthodox when I am open to other churches and cooperate with them with an ecumenical spirit, implementing the Lord’s words “So that they may all be one” (John 17:21).
Communication and Public Relations Department