On Thursday, 28 March 2018, His Holiness Aram I welcomed the Secretary General of the International Dialogue Center KAICIID Mr. Faisal Bin Mouammar, accompanied by Arab Region Fellows who are representing diverse religions, denominations and cultures in the region. “King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna has a crucial role…
Friday, March 29th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I departs for Aleppo to perform the reconsecration of the recently rebuilt Forty Martyrs Cathedral. Cilician Brothers and representative of the National Central Committee will accompany His Holiness on his four-day visit, during which he will also have several meetings and visits.
On Wednesday, March 27th, His Holiness Aram I received representatives of the three Armenian political parties in Lebanon: the Social Democrat Hunchagian Party, the Armenian Revolutionary Party and the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party, who briefed His Holiness about their consultative meeting held the previous day regarding the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. In turn,…
According to the established tradition, and in response to the invitation of the Prelate and members of the Church Council of the Prelacy of Lebanon, His Holiness Aram I presided over the Mid Lent Service at St. Nishan Church in Beirut. The Seminarians who accompanied the Catholicos chanted the Service. At the end of…
On Monday, March 25th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Lebanon’s ambassador to Vatican Farid Al-Khazen. During the meeting, they discussed the current relations between Lebanon and Vatican. The Ambassador saluted His Holiness’ personal relations with Vatican’s high ranking officials and the cooperation between the Catholicosate and Vatican. The Ambassador also consulted His Holiness…
The International Ecumenical Youth Meeting gathered more than 1600 young participants from over 44 countries around the globe. It took place from March 22nd to the 26th, and was organized through the collaboration of the MECC, the churches in Lebanon, and the Taizé Ecumenical Community. Rev. Father Hrant Tahanian, Ecumenical Officer of the…
On Monday, March 25th, His Holiness Aram I received senior citizens for a Mid-Lent luncheon organized by the Christian Education Department. The luncheon hosted around 100 elderly coming from the Armenian Elderly Home in Bourdj Hamoud, the Armenian Sanitorium of Azounieh and the Social Work Department of the Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon. Before the…
On Sunday March 24th, participants of the International Ecumenical Youth Meeting, organized by the Taize Community in collaboration with the Churches in Lebanon and the Middle East Council of Churches, attended Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias. Following the Mass, they had the opportunity to meet with His Holiness Aram…
Many pilgrims from Armenia visit Lebanon and pay visits to various Lebanese and Lebanese Armenian pilgrimage sites, among many: the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Armenian Genocide Memorial Chapel in Antelias, St Mary Cathedral and the Renaissance statute in Bikfaya, the Armenian Genocide Orphans’ “Aram Bezikian” museum and the Birds’ Nest Orphanage in Jbeil, Our…
On Saturday, March 23rd, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Archimandrite Jack Yacoub, Representative of His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, and Vartkes Mahdessian, the representative of the Armenian Community in the Cyprus House of Representatives, respectively. The first meeting was an opportunity to talk about the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and…
On Friday, March 22nd, 2019, His Holiness Aram I presided over the meeting of the newly formed Ecumenical Relations Committee of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, in Antelias. Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Prelate of Tehran, was the chair, and V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, Director of the Ecumenical Relations Department, was the secretary of the meeting. …
On Friday, March 22nd, 2019, a Mid-Lent Luncheon was held at the Catholicosate of Cilicia, organized by the Catholicosate’s Sunday School administration and its Ladies Auxiliary. On this occasion, His Holiness Aram I visited the event, shared a meal with them and gave them his blessings. His Holiness also addressed the attendees of the luncheon…
On Thursday, March 21st, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received H.E. Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and Western Europe, Special Representative of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, accompanied by the Representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Athens. The visit aimed at discussing, on behalf of All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch, the present challenges and difficulties faced by…
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gomidas Vartabed, Armenian composer, ethnomusicologist, researcher and singer. The “Shnorhali” choir of the Catholicosate of Cilicia will celebrate this event with a concert dedicated to the renowned composer in the month of October.
On Monday, March 18th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Grigori Martirosyan, State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, accompanied by Gagik Martorosyan, Head of Shahumyan regional administration. Present at the meeting were also Vahagn Atabekyan, Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon, Peniamin Bchakjian, representative of Artsakh Roots Investment (ARI), Garo Kebabjian, Representative of the Republic of…
On Saturday, March 16th, 2019, the 10th Inter-school Competition of the Khatchig Babigian Fund organized by the Educational-Armenological Department of the Catholicosate of Cilicia commenced at the Cilicia Museum. 45 students competed in the first round in Poetry Recitation. The second and final round for this category will be concluded on April 6th. This…
On Sunday, March 17th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I presided over a requiem service for the soul of Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. Requiem services were also held in all our churches, where His Holiness’ letter of condolence was read. Note that, Archbishop Nareg Alemezian, Prelate of Lebanon, and Bishop Magar Ashkarian,…
On Tuesday March 12th, 2019, a press conference was held for the official launching of the International Ecumenical Youth Meeting, that is organized through the collaboration of the MECC, the churches in Lebanon, and the Taizé Ecumenical Brotherhood. The meeting will take place between March 22nd and 26th, and is expecting over 1500 youth participants…
On March 12th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I receives the President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union Berge Setrakian. They talked about the situation in the Republic of Armenia, as well as issues pertaining the Armenia-Diaspora cooperation.
On Monday, March 11th, His Holiness Aram I received Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau Chair Hagop Der Khatchadourian and ARF Bureau member Peniamin Bchakjian. They talked about issues pertaining the Armenian Diaspora, the Armenia-Diaspora relations, the Armenian Cause and Artsakh.
The 56th meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) took place on February 24-28, 2019, in Bali, Indonesia. Prof. Nora Bayrakdarian Kabakian, member of the CCIA representing the Holy See of Cilicia, participated at the five-day meeting. Dr. Bayrakdarian Kabakian partook in the discussions especially through…
His Holiness Aram I received the news of the passing of the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan on Friday noon with deep sorrow. His Holiness and the Cilician Brotherhood offered their condolences to the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchate, the Brotherhood, the Religious Council and the Armenian community in Turkey.
The 1st meeting of 2019 of the Executive Committee of KAICIID, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, was held on March 1st and 2nd in Lebanon. The Catholicosate of Cilicia participated at this meeting with its representative Prof. Jean Salmanian. Following the two-day meeting, the ExCom agreed upon…
On Tuesday, March 5th, 2019, the architects of the Catholicosate held a work meeting at the Cilicia Museum to plan its renovation and it was chaired by His Holiness Aram I. Note that Garo Eshkiyan will fund the renovation.
Under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I and organized by the Christian Education Department, a “Sacred Concert” dedicated to the late His Eminence Archbishop Zareh Aznavorian took place on Sunday Evening, March 3rd, 2019, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias. “Shnorhali” and children’s “Naregatsi” choirs, led by Rev. Fr. Zaven Najarian,…
Armenian Church Fathers have described the Great Lent as the “Powerful Gate,” constructed through self-introspection and abstinence, in anticipation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the Fathers, the Great Lent is an invitation to engage in spiritual quest. According to Gregory of Datev, “the spirit is cleansed by tears serving as hot water and…
On Sunday morning, March 3rd, 2019, following the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Aram I received the Sunday School students on the occasion of Poun Paregentan (the Eve of the Great Lent). The children were disguised in different costumes and presented hymns and songs of the feast that they have learned in Sunday schools. His Holiness…
On Friday, March 1st, 2019, a group of United Armenian College elementary students visited His Holiness Aram I to celebrate Poun Paregentan (the Eve of the Great Lent). They were wearing different costumes and had brought with them the traditional Poun Paregentan treats. His Holiness welcomed the children in the Main Hall of the…
Under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I and organized by the Christian Education Department of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, the two-day Inter-Diocesan Christian Education Conference convened on the morning of February 1st, 2019, in Antelias. The participants of the conference were representatives of Christian education departments of the Catholicosate’s prelacies constituting the Christian Education…
