22 November 2016. On Tuesday evening, the special concert organized by the Diocese of Lebanon was held at the Casino du Liban, outside Beirut. Mr Krikor Hasheolian, Chancellor of the Prelacy welcomed the audience and thanked the Catholicos for his leadership.

Mr Dikran Jinbashian addressed His Holiness on behalf of the Diocese and addressed his achievements through his writings, his contribution to the ecumenical movement and special care for the people, to the concern for a strong and independent Armenia and Karabagh and finally for never giving up his demand for justice to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. He then praised the latest initiative of the Catholicos demanding the return of the Monastery and Cathedral of the Catholicosate of Cilicia from Turkey. In his conclusion Mr Jinbashian told the public that Catholicos Aram I personifies the Armenian term ‘Vehapar’ inherited from the time of Armenian kingdoms and now given to the Catholicoi, meaning leader through service.

After an address in English by Dr Hilda Bayramian the 84 member Choir presented its programme which included songs from Armenian and non Armenian composers. At the end of the concert, His Holiness Aram I thanked everyone and decorated Maestro Chekidjian with the insignia of ‘Knight of Cilicia’.