Career
Pope John Paul II appointed him on 30 May 1983 Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baghdad. He received his episcopal consecration of the Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon, Luciano Angeloni, on 21 August of the same year. His co-consecrators were Raphael I Bidawid, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon and Paul Bassim, OCD, Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of Beirut.
On 30 July 1999 he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Beirut and Titular Bishop of Arae in Numidia.