Pope Francis has officially acknowledged a miracle attributed to Patriarch Estephan Douaihy, initiating the process for his beatification. The decision, disclosed on Thursday after a meeting between the Pope and Cardinal Mercello Semeraro of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was reported by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Following the announcement, church bells rang in Zghorta, the northern Lebanese village of Douaihy's origin. The date for his beatification remains undetermined, as per information from L’Orient-Le Jour. Unlike canonization, beatification ceremonies occur in the subject’s home country.

Father Boulos Azzi, overseeing the sainthood process for the Maronite Church, submitted a dossier to the Vatican in 2019 outlining a healing miracle attributed to Patriarch Estephan Douaihy.

Born in Ehden, North Lebanon, in 1630, Douaihy served as patriarch from 1670 until his passing in 1704. Revered as a foundational figure and intellectual leader of his Church, he established numerous educational institutions and convents, earning recognition as one of its foremost historians, often referred to as “The Father of Maronite History.”

Pope Benedict XVI declared him venerable in 2008. Douaihy's remains rest at the patriarchal convent of Qannoubine, nestled in the Holy Valley, also known as Qadisha Valley, near the hermitage of Saint Marina, one of Lebanon's revered saints.