27 March 2106. On Sunday morning the Easter Liturgy began in Antelias with His Holiness Aram I entering the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in procession as the bells of the Cathedral rang. The Easter Liturgy, which was chanted by the “Shenorhali” choir of the Catholicosate, was attended by the faithful, ambassadors, ministers, members of parliament, the leadership of Church Councils and members from civil society organizations.

In his sermon, His Holiness said that the core of Easter is Jesus’ affirmation that He is the giver of life. The Catholicos said that God created human beings with reason and sovereign power in order to become His partners in achieving the ultimate purpose, the establishment of His Kingdom on this earth.

He pointed out that Adam used his reason and sovereign power for his own glory and pleasure and thereby lost the God-given grace. “However,” he added, “Jesus shed His blood to restore true life, as we hear in the hymn, ‘by death he trampled death and gave humanity eternal life.’” The Catholicos then added, “Human life is God’s gift and no one has the right to destroy it, not even his own, because all life belongs to God. Human beings should care and respect the creation and fellow humans. Lack of respect is an offense against God. Any violence against the environment and human beings is an act of terrorism. All such acts concern all of humanity and, therefore, religions should not remain silent in the face of these acts. For Christians, Jesus renewed life and became the way to true life. Therefore, the resurrection of Jesus is an invitation to choose the path of renewal sealed by his death.”

Addressing the situation in the Middle East, the Catholicos urged Christians to organize themselves better in order to more effectively hold onto their rights. He said that wherever possible Christians should not emigrate because their leaving will harm Christian witness in the region. Addressing the issue of presidential elections in Lebanon, the Catholicos urged the members of Parliament to elect a president: “Because they have been elected by the people,” he pointed out, “they are accountable to them and, through history, to posterity.”

At the end of the Easter Liturgy, His Holiness Aram I blessed the people and announced: “Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!” He then received the greetings of the official guests and the people.