On Sunday morning, October 28th, 2018, His Holiness Aram I attended the Divine Liturgy at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Old Catholic Church in Bern, Switzerland, and delivered a sermon to the attendees.
Bishop Dr. Harald Rein welcomed His Holiness and invited him to deliver his sermon.
In the sermon, His Holiness concentrated on the Christ-given mission of the church, which is conducted through testimony, service and teaching. His Holiness then quoting Mark 3:24 “And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand,” elaborated on the following two concepts: the family as the house of God and the Church as the house of God.
His Holiness stated that the family is God-given and God-centered institution and when God created Adam and Eve, He commanded them to live together, procreate and remain loyal to Him. His Holiness then shed light on contemporary issues that threatens the sanctity of the family and underlined the imperative for families to regain being a source of moral and ethical values.Ā Ā
Talking about the Church as the house of God, His Holiness stated that a church is not the building but its people and the body of the Christ. His Holiness talked about the challenges that churches face today and stressed the importance of the renewal of the Church.
After the sermon, Bishop Dr. Harald Rein thanked His Holiness for accepting the invitation and delivering a sermon at the Old Catholic Cathedral in Switzerland.
It is worth noting that with the decision of the Bishop, the donations made that day to the Cathedral were transmitted to the Birdsā Nest Orphanage in Jbeil, Lebanon.
Also, it is worth mentioning that the world-famous soprano Hasmik Papian performed spiritual songs during the Divine Liturgy on Sunday and the vespers service on Saturday.
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