18 February 2016. On Thursday morning Ambassador Ashod Kotcharian visited Catholicos Aram I to inform His Holiness Aram I that he had come to the end of his six years of diplomatic service and was returning to Armenia. His Holiness Aram I expressed his deep appreciation for the Ambassadorās services, and emphasized the importance…
18 February 2016. On Thursday morning, a high-level delegation from Iran, which is currently visiting Lebanon, met with His Holiness Aram I in Antelias. The delegation was accompanied by political advisors from the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon. Ā Discussions focussed on the situation in the Middle East, the Syrian conflict and issues related to the…
14 February 2016. A two-day conference to evaluate the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Commemorative events was held at the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias. The participants included Mrs Heranoush Hagopian, Minister of Diaspora of Armenia, Mr Ashod Kocharian, Ambassador of Armenia to Lebanon, Diocesan Bishops, members of Genocide Commemoration committees of the region…
15 February 2016. In response to the invitation of the Roman Catholic Bishop, Diocese of Dubrovnik (Croatia), His Holiness Aram I nominated Archbishop Kegham Khatcherian to represent the Catholicosate of Cilicia at the 1700th anniversary of the Martyrdom of bishop Vlass, who is also the patron saint of the city. Ā Archbishop Kegham, the Cardinal…
14 Febrary 2016. On Saturday evening, His Holiness Aram I presided over the Service celebrating the eve of the feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. The St Gregory Illuminator Cathedral was filled with many young parents who, following the example of Mary and Joseph, came to the church to present their young…
7 February 2016. On Sunday, a group of Sunday School children and their parents attended the Holy Liturgy in Antelias and met with His Holiness Aram I. After blessing the children and talking to them, the Catholicos addressed the parents. His Holiness praised them for their diligence in sending their children to Sunday Schools and…
21-23 Jaunuary 2016. His Holiness Aram I nominated Mr Jirair Tanielian, Director of the Armenology Department of the Catholicosate of Cilicia to attend the meeting. The consultation was organized jointly by the Chair of the Armenian Studies Department, and the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, with the financial support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation; it was…
5 February 2016. On Friday morning Ambassador Ashod Khocharian met with His Holiness Aram I in Antelias. They discussed Armenia-Diaspora relations, issues related to Armenians in Lebanon and future projects.
āRenunciation of Christianity would have been the end of āArmenian-ness,āā stated His Holiness Aram I Ā 4 February 2016. On Thursday morning His Holiness Aram I presided over the Holy Liturgy dedicated to St Vartanantz at St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias; the celebrant was Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, Primate of Peria (Syria). The feast…
2 February 2016. On Monday, His Holiness Aram I presided over the prayer service dedicated to the Ghevontiantz priests; Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian led the members of the brotherhood in the prayers. The collective term, Ghevontiantz, refers to the priest Ghevont and his companions who accompanied the soldiers during the historical battle of Vartanantz in 451,…
31 January 2016. On Sunday, the members of the Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue committee met in Cairo. During the meeting, Archbishop Nareg Alemezian, the Pontifical Representative in Cyprus, and Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of PCPCU, met privately and discussed relationships between the Catholic Church and the Catholicosate of Cilicia, the situation in Syria and Christian…
31 January 2016. Every year, on the Sunday preceding the last Sunday before the Great Lent, the clergy of the Catholicosate of Cilicia hold a special prayer service to remember the departed members of the brotherhood who had consecrated their lives to the service of the Church and the people. Ā This year as well,…
29 January 2016. On Friday morning, His Holiness Aram I presided over the meeting that brought together Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, Armenian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Peria, Archbishop Bedros Meriatian, Primate of the Armenian Catholic Diocese of Aleppo and Rev. Haroutiun Selimian, Head of the Armenian Evangelical Community in Syria. After welcoming the leaders of the…
28 January 2016. On Thursday, His Holiness Aram I opened the meeting on Syria in the presence of Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, the Prelate of the Diocese of Syria (Peria), members of the Executive Council of the Catholicosate and representatives of the Diocesan Council of Peria. Ā In his opening speech, His Holiness commended the members…
On Thursday morning, a group of theology students from England, Germany, Switzerland and the United States of America, along with their professors, met with His Holiness Aram I to learn about the Armenian Church and its presence in the Middle East. Ā The Catholicos explained the historical role of the Middle East in the creation…
18 January 2016. The delegation was headed by Bishop Oscar Cantu, Chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and included Mr. Stephen Colecchi, director of the Lebanese office of Catholic Relief Services. Ā The delegation is visiting different countries in the Middle East in order…
18 January 2016. The third conference, held in Moshi, Tanzania from 11-16 January, discussed the theme āGrowing together in Transformative Ecumenism.ā The discussion is a continuation of conferences held in Seoul, (2013) and Manila (2014). Ā The Moderator of the WCC Central and Executive Committees, Dr Agnes Abuom, members of the Central Committee, and representatives…
On Saturday morning Ambassador Mohammad Fathali, accompanied by the political attachĆ© and other high-ranking officials, visited His Holiness in Antelias on the occasion of Armenian Christmas. After exchanging good wishes, they talked about recent developments in the Middle East, particularly the escalation of conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The ambassador explained the reasons for…
On Thursday evening Patriarch Krikor, Bedros XX Ghabroyan, accompanied by Bishops Manuel Batakian and Kevork Assadourian, met with Catholicos Aram I. Ā After exchanging good wishes for the New Year and Armenian Christmas, they discussed the situation of Armenians in Syria, the recent political developments in the Middle East and the stagnant presidential elections in…
On Wednesday, following the Christmas Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, His Holiness Aram I received His Excellency Tamam Salam at the Main Hall of the Catholicosate. His Holiness and the Prime Minister held a private meeting to discuss political developments in the Middle East, their impact on Lebanon and the pending sensitive issue…
On Tuesday morning Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the Apostolic Nuncio, met with Catholicos Aram I and delivered a letter from Pope Francis I. The Catholicos thanked the Nuncio for the letter, the Vaticanās support of the 100th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide and the personal statement of the Pope advocating justice for the Armenian…
On Tuesday around noon Patriarch Ignatius Youssef Younan and the Patriarchal Vicar, Bishop Qas Musa, accompanied by a delegation of clergy, visited His Holiness Aram I. Very Rev Housig Mardirossian, the Ecumenical Officer, was also present. Ā After an overview of the situation in the region, they discussed the meeting to be held in February…
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia Communication and Information Department Tel: (04) 410001, 410003 Fax: (04) 419724 E- mail: info@ArmenianOrthodoxChurch.org Web: http://www.ArmenianOrthodoxChurch.org/ PO Box 70 317 Antelias-Lebanon LIVE TELEVISION BROADCAST OF CHRISTMAS MASS VIA SATELLITE FROM ANTELIAS – JANUARY 6TH, 2016 The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI) will broadcast LIVE via satellite the Christmas Mass presided over…
30 December 2015. During the week, Catholicos Aram I joined the New Yearās festivities of the educational, cultural, social and advocacy programmes offices and programmes of the Catholicosate of Cilicia and praised their work on the 100th commemoration activities for the Armenian Genocide. During the last two gatherings of the Shenorhali Choir and the Armenian…
28 December 2015. On Monday morning, Catholicos Aram I met with Rev Dr Michel Jalkh, the General Secretary of the MECC, Mr Elias Halabi, the Associate General Secretary, and directors of the media and other programmes of the Council to discuss the international community attempts to put into place conflict-resolution strategies in the area and…
28 December 2015. On Monday evening at St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, the Armash choir of the seminary presented a programme of Christmas and other Armenian Spiritual hymns. The Dean Rev Torkom Donoyan thanked His Holiness for his support and presence and welcomed the audience. Ā The choirmaster Rev Karekin Shekherdemian introduced the 15 hymns…
27 December 2015. On Sunday morning, His Holiness Aram I presided over the Holy Liturgy at the St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, celebrating the feast of St Stephen, the martyr proto deacon, which is also the celebration of the vocation of deacon. Before the sermon, Bishop Norayr Ashekian invited the deacons to the front of…
His Holiness Aram I visits the Home for the Elderly and the Institution for the Blind in Bourj Hammoud Ā 26 December 2015. On Saturday His Holiness Aram I continued his visit to the social institutions sponsored by the Catholicosate of Cilicia, accompanied by Bishop ShahĆ© Panossian, the Prelate of Lebanon, and priests of the…
24 December 2015. On Thursday morning, Catholicos Aram I, accompanied by the members of the brotherhood, arrived at the Azounieh hospital in Chouf, Lebanon. The director and medical staff welcomed His Holiness and the clergy, and held a private meeting with the Catholicos. After hearing a report on the institution, its activities and future plans,…
His Holiness Aram I invites the Children, Teachers, Personnel, Board Members and the Kayanian Sisters to Anetelias Ā 23 December 2015. On Wednesday, unlike other years when he visited the children and all the members of the institution, His Holiness Aram I received them at the Catholicosate in Antelias. The children presented a programme with…
9 December 2015. On Wednesday at the āJazairā conference centre in Istanbul, the Turkish members of the Legal Team of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, Mr Cem Sofuoglu, Esq. and Dr Taner AkƧam, held a press conference to explain the lawsuit. They were accompanied by Very Rev Housig Mardisrossian the Ecumenical officer, and Rev Bedros Manuelian,…
11 December 2015. On Friday evening, His Holiness Aram I opened the Christmas Bazaar in Antelias. The purpose of the bazaar was to raise funds and share the joy of Christmas with families in need by distributing food parcels and toys to children. The articles for sale revived the Armenian cultural and culinary tradition. Ā …
11 December 2015. On Friday morning the head of the Middle East Office of the German newspaper, Allgemeine Zeitung, interviewed His Holiness Aram I in Antelias on the question of the lawsuit and the situation of Armenians in Aleppo. Ā In response to the question on the lawsuit claiming ownership of its historical Seat in…
20 November 2015. On Friday evening Catholicos Aram I inaugurated the new annual session of the Armenian Studies Department of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in the presence of the members of the clergy, the director of the department, Mr Jirayr Tanielian, the faculty and the thirty new students. Ā In his opening speech His Holiness…
20 November 2015. On Friday Dr Michel Jalekh met with His Holiness Aram I in Antelias. The General Secretary first thanked the Catholicos and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for taking the time to attend the Executive Committee meeting and moderating sessions of the MECC in Egypt. Catholicos Aram I spoke…
19 November 2015. On Thursday evening, Vartan Melkonian conducted the Beirut Symphony Orchestra at a concert jointly organized by the Baalbek International Festival Committee and the Pan Armenian Committee of the 100th Anniversary Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Lebanon. His Holiness Aram I was joined at the concert by various heads of different religious communities in…
10 ā 19 November 2015. Archbishop Nareg Alemezian, Pontifical Vicar of Cyprus of the Holy See of Cilicia and member of the Executive Committee of the WCC, attended the meeting at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey near Geneva. Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Holy See of St. Etchmiadzin was also present as Moderator of a committee of…
16 November 2015. On Monday evening at the āCilicia Museum,ā His Holiness Aram I met with the students enrolled in the course on Icons, which is being organized by the Catholicosate for the second year. After welcoming them and thanking Rev Hovsep Ashkarian for helping the students learn the art of painting of Icons, the…
12-13 November, 2015. Rev Housig Mardirossian the Ecumenical Officer and Dr. Jean Salmanian, Member of the Ecumenical Committee represented the Catholicosate of Cilicia at the conference organized by the Faculty of Theology of St Joseph University in Beirut, in cooperation with the journal Proche-Orient ChrĆ©tien and the publishing House Centre de Recherche et de Publications…
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9 November 2015. On Monday evening His Holiness Aram I presided over the presentation of the books in the presence of the Syriac Catholic Patriarch, Ignatius Youssef III Younan, representatives of Churches, government ministers, members of parliaments, ambassadors, representatives of Armenian organizations and over 200 other guests. Ā Very Reverend Housig Mardirossian read Catholicos Aram…
8 November 2015. On Sunday morning, following the Holy Liturgy, His Holiness Aram I received Dr Seta Dadoyan and guests at the Main Hall of the Catholicosate in Antelias. The Chancellor, Mr Khatchik Dedeyan, highlighted the achievements of Dr Dadoyan, an expert on Armenian philosophical thought and Islam, who, during her academic career, has taught…
8 November 2015. Archbihop Sebouh Sarkissian, Primate of Iran, and Very Reverend Housig Mardirossian, the Ecumenical Officer, took part in a conference organized by the Global Christian Forum, held in Tirana (Albania), in cooperation with the local Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical churches. Ā In the presence of 150 representatives of Churches and Christian Organizations,…
8 November 2015. While in Egypt to Chair the Executive Committee meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches, His Holiness Aram I met with the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, and Metropolitan Amba Bishoy of Damiet, the ecumenical relations officer. They discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two churches and…
3 November 2015. On Monday morning, the members of Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches began their deliberations at the Saint Markās Coptic Orthodox Cathedral Compound. Ā His Holiness Aram I welcomed the members of the Executive Committee. He said that, because the churches form an inherent part of the Middle East…
Ā 3 November 2015. In response to His Holiness Aram Iās request, the Tina and Richard V Carolan Foundation donated 125,000 US dollars to assist Armenian victims of the current on-going conflict in Syria. Ā The Catholicosate of Cilicia thanks the Carolan family for always responding positively to their requests.
2 November 2015. On Monday evening the Chairman of the Bureau of ARF, Mr Hrant Markarian, and other members visited His Holiness Aram I. During the meeting they assessed the evolution of priority concerns: Armenia-Karabagh, Armenia-Diaspora relations, and the need of the Armenians in Syria for assistance.
2 November 2015. On Monday morning, around 200 members of Kohar Choir, accompanied by Mrs Kohar Khatchadourian and her family, met with His Holiness Aram I at the main hall of his residence. After welcoming and thanking everyone, His Holiness spoke of the vocation of the Choir and its impact on the life…
31 October 2015. On Saturday morning, Archbishop Paul Sayyah, Vicar General of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch, visited His Holiness Aram I and transmitted messages from Patriarch Rai concerning Lebanon and the Middle East. Ā They discussed the forthcoming meeting and agenda of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches in Cairo.…
1 November 2015. On Sunday morning, following the Holy Liturgy, the children attending the Sunday School held at the Catholicosate, accompanied by their teachers and parents met with His Holiness Aram I. Listening and talking to Sunday School students is one of the ongoing concerns of the Catholicos. Ā After a brief conversation with…
28 October 2105. On Wednesday evening Ambassador Martin Huth visited His Holiness in Antelias, in the presence of Dr Bedros Karajerjian, President of the Executive Council of the Catholicosate. Ā After an overview of the situation in Syria and Lebanon, His Holiness Aram I drew the attention of the Ambassador to the Armenian community in…
28 October 2015. On Wednesday the Chairperson of the Central Committee, Mr Hagop Tigranian, met with His Holiness Aram I. He was accompanied by Vice- Chairperson and Member of Lebanese Parliament, Sebouh Kalpakian, and Mr Yeghig Jerejian, a member of the Central Committee. During the meeting they discussed Armenia-Diaspora relations and the situation…
24 October 2015. On Saturday, the one-day conference was held in Antelias with the participation of youth from church organizations and movements in Lebanon. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Armenian Genocide and draw lessons for future action by youth. Ā In his opening speech, His Holiness Aram I congratulated members of…
24 October 2015. Upon the invitation of the Bishop of the Chaldean Diocese of Beirut, Michel Kassarji, His Holiness Aram I took part in the special prayers remembering the Chaldean victims of the Ottoman massacres. During the ceremony, speakers addressed the Ottoman atrocities with reference to the Armenian Genocide. Ā The message of His Holiness…
23 October 2015. On Friday morning the members of the Board and the General Director of the Foundation from New York, Mrs Irina Lazarian, met with His Holiness Aram I at the Main Hall of his residence. Ā Mrs Lazarian first thanked Catholicos Aram I for his support of the Howard Karaguezian foundation over the…
18-22 October 2015. On the occasion of the conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, his Holiness Aram I held side meetings with representatives of the Assyrian Parliamentarians in Sweden, the President of Christian Parliamentarians in Iraq, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, and Presidents of other Faith Organizations…
21 October 2015. On Wednesday evening His Holiness visited St. Garabed Church in Fix for canonical prayers, accompanied by the Prelate, Archbishop Khoren Toghramadjian, and Very Rev. Housig Mardirossian, the Ecumenical Officer. The members of the Church Committees and the community welcomed the Catholicos at the entrance and accompanied him to the Church. Ā At…
22 October, 2015. In his address to Christian and Muslim leaders, representatives of different countries and international governmental and non-governmental organizations during the recent conference organized by the Greek authorities in Athens on the āReligious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East,ā His Holiness Aram I said that the blame for the…
19 October 2015. On Monday His Holiness Aram I, accompanied by Archbishop Toghramadjian, the Prelate of Greece, and Mr Ara Mangoian, President of the Church Council, met with His Excellency Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the President of Greece. Ā The Catholicos thanked the President for his long-standing and faithful support of the Armenian cause, and he praised…
18 October, 2015. On Sunday evening His Holiness Aram I left for Athens upon the invitation of the government of Greece to take part in the conference on āReligious and Cultural Pluralism & Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle Eastā with the participation of Christian and Muslim leaders. Ā Catholicos Aram I arrived in Athens with…
15 October 2015. During the opening of the conference entitled āArmenian Genocide: From Recognition to Compensation,ā following the opening welcome of His Excellency President Serge Sarkissian and the message of His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II, Bishop Krikor Chiftjian, Prelate of the Diocese of Aderbadagan in Iran, read the message of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I.…
12 October 2015. The Feast of the Holy Translators, which inaugurates the new school year of the Seminary, celebrates the discovery of the Armenian alphabet in 405, which made it possible to translate the Holy Bible into Armenian. Ā On Saturday 11 October in the morning Rev Fr. Torkom Donoyan, Dean of the Seminary celebrated…
11 October 2015. Following the Sunday Liturgy of the Feast of Holy Translators, His Holiness Aram I, the clergy and the faithful went in procession to the pavilion where the Catholicos inaugurated the fair. Each year, the exhibition brings together Armenian publishers, writers, teachers and students in Lebanon, in order to express their commitment to…
On Thursday morning His Holiness Aram I received a delegation of 20 persons representing the European branches of the organization, accompanied by Pastors Meguerditch Karageuzian and Sebouh Terzian of the Armenian Evangelical Church. Ā After His Holiness welcomed the delegation, he explained the preoccupations of the Churches in the region and asked the members of…
The Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission has held its fourth meeting from the 5th to 10th October 2015 at Gladstoneās Library, Hawarden, Wales. Ā The Commission greatly appreciates the welcome to his diocese given by the Right Reverend Gregory K Cameron, and the hospitality offered by the staff of the Library. Ā The Commission is also…
30 September 2015. On Saturday 26 September, the commemoration,ā100 years of solidarity between Armenian and Swiss people,ā was concluded with two events: a visit to Hundwil, where Jakob KĆ¼nzler was born, and a ceremony in Walzenhausen, where he had spent his youth. Ā The ceremony was held at the Reformed Church in Walzenhausen. Upon his…
30 September 2015. In a letter addressed to President Rouhani, His Holiness Aram I expressed the sorrow and sympathy of the Armenian community to the government and people of Iran upon the death of their beloved ones while on pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
30 September 2015. On Friday 25 September, following ecumenical prayers at the Bern Cathedral, the President of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (FEPS), Dr. Gottfried Locher, offered a dinner in honour of His Holiness Aram I. The guests included the Ambassador of France to Switzerland, the Roman Catholic and Old Catholic Bishops, the ChargĆ©…
30 September 2015. On Saturday 26 October His Holiness went to Hundwil, accompanied by his delegation, comprising of Archbishop Khoren Toghramadjian, Primate of the Diocese of Greece, Very Rev. Housig Mardirossian, the Ecumenical Relations Officer, Rev Bedros Manuelian, Head of the Audiovisual Department, Mr Hagop Pakradouni, a member of the Lebanese Parliament, Mrs Teny Pirri-Simonian,…
26 September 2015. On Saturday, the Pan Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee met in Yerevan under the leadership of H.E. Serge Sarkissian the President of the Republic of Armenia. One of the aims of the meeting was to evaluate the activities of the year and plan the follow-up. Ā As His Holiness Aram I could not…
26 September 2015. In a message addressed to the Presidents of the Republics of Armenia and Karabagh, His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II, the Catholic and Protestant leaders, His Holiness Aram I transmitted his pontifical blessings, expressed his brotherly love and apologized for his absence. He reminded the Committee that his visit to Switzerland with the…
28 September 2015. During his official visit to Switzerland, His Holiness Aram I was informed of the death of Armenian soldiers killed by Azeri fire on the Azerbaijan and Karabagh boarder. After expressing his fatherly love and condolences to the families of the victims, he stated, āI heard with great sadness the death of…
26 September 2015. On Saturday evening His Holiness Aram I met with Dr Gottfried Locher, President, of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, at his hotel in Berne, accompanied by Pasteur Serge Fornerod, Director of External Relations of the Federation. Ā After a private meeting between His Holiness Aram I and Dr. Locher, the…
On Friday evening an ecumenical prayer of thanksgiving for the ā100 Years of solidarity Between the Swiss and Armeniansā was held at the Cathedral in Berne, in the presence of Holiness Aram I and his delegation consisting of: Archbishop Khoren Toghramadjian, the Ecumenical Officer Very Rev Housig Mardirossian, Rev Bedros Manuelian, Member of Parliament Hagop…
25 September 2015. On Friday morning His Holiness Aram I met with Claude HĆŖche, the President of the Swiss Council of States. His Holiness was accompanied by Dr. Gottfried Locher, President, of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches Mr Hagop Pakradouni, member of the Lebanese Parliament, Mrs Teny Pirri-Simonian, President of ARMENOFAS Swiss-Armenian Foundation and…
24 September 2015 evening. One hundred years after the Genocide, His Holiness Aram I expressed his gratitude to the people of the town of Begnins on behalf of the Armenian Church and people for receiving Armenian orphans of the Genocide and helping them settle in Switzerland. He declared, āIn the history of friendship between the…
24 September 2015. On Thursday morning His Holiness Aram I, accompanied by Lebanese Member of Parliament Mr Hagop Pakradouni, and Serge Fornerod of External Relations of the Federation visited Mr Rossier. His Holiness explained that he was in Switzerland upon the invitation of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches to thank the Swiss people for…
23 September 2015. On Wednesday in the afternoon, His Holiness and his delegation arrived in Berne and went to the headquarters of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches. They were met there by the president, Dr Gottfried Locher, and the directors of different departments. Dr Locher welcomed the Catholicos and assured him and the delegation…
20 September 2015. Upon his arrival in Switzerland to preside over the activities commemorating ā100 years of solidarity between Armenians and the people of Switzerland,ā which was organized by the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and Armenofas Swiss-Armenian Foundation, His Holiness Aram I met journalists from the French-speaking and German-speaking press. He was interviewed by…
23 September 2015. With the blessings of His Holiness Aram I, Very Rev Housig Mardirossian took part in a conference 13-14 September 2015, on the theme of Martyrdom in Jasenovac (Slovania). It was organized by Bishop Jovan of Slavonia, commemorating the massacre of Serbs by the Ustasa ā the Croatian Revolutionary movement during World…
Ā Ā Ā Ā ÕÕøÕµÕ¶ ÕÖ Õ½ÖÕØ Õ”Õ“ÖÕøÖÕøÖÕ“Õ¶ Õ§ Õ.Õ.Õ.Õ.Õ. Ō±ÖÕ”Õ“ Ō±. ÕÕ„Õ°Õ”ÖÕ”Õ¼ ÕÕ”ÕµÖÕ”ÕŗÕ„ÕæÕ«Õ¶ ÕŗÕ”ÕæÕ£Õ”Õ“Õ«Õ¶Õ Õ”ÖÕæÕ”Õ½Õ”Õ¶ÕøÖÕ”Õ® ÕÕ§ÖÕ¶Õ« ÕÕ”ÕµÖ ÕÕ”Õ³Õ”ÖÕ«Õ¶ Õ“Õ§Õ», Ō¶ÕøÖÕ«ÖÕ„ÖÕ«Õ”Õµ, ÕÕ”ÕµÕøÖ ÕÕ„Õ²Õ”Õ½ÕŗÕ”Õ¶ÕøÖÕ©Õ„Õ”Õ¶ 100-Õ”Õ“Õ„Õ”ÕÆÕ« Õ¶ÕøÖÕ«ÖÕøÖÕ”Õ® Õ“Õ«Õ»-Õ„ÕÆÕ„Õ²Õ„ÖÕ”ÕÆÕ”Õ¶ Õ”ÖÕ”ÖÕøÕ²ÕøÖÕ©Õ„Õ”Õ¶ ÕØÕ¶Õ©Õ”ÖÖÕ«Õ¶: This gathering that takes place within the context of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide has been named Switzerland-Armenia: 100 years of solidarity. As we celebrate this great event,…
ÕÕøÕµÕ¶ ÕÖ Õ½ÖÕØ Õ”Õ“ÖÕøÖÕøÖÕ“Õ¶ Õ§ Õ.Õ.Õ.Õ.Õ. Ō±ÖÕ”Õ“ Ō±. ÕÕ„Õ°Õ”ÖÕ”Õ¼ ÕÕ”ÕµÖÕ”ÕŗÕ„ÕæÕ«Õ¶ ÕŗÕ”ÕæÕ£Õ”Õ“Õ«Õ¶ Õ”ÖÕæÕ”Õ½Õ”Õ¶ÕøÖÕ”Õ® Ō¶ÕøÖÕ«ÖÕ„ÖÕ«ÕøÕµ Õ“Õ§Õ», ÕÕ”ÕµÕøÖ ÕÕ„Õ²Õ”Õ½ÕŗÕ”Õ¶ÕøÖÕ©Õ„Õ¶Õ§Õ¶ Õ³ÕøÕ²ÕøÕŗÖÕ”Õ® ÕÕ§Õ¶ÕµÕ§Õ¶Õ« Õ„Ö ŌŗÕØÕ¶Õ„ÖÕ« ÕøÖÕ¢Õ„ÖÕøÖÕ¶, Õ«Õ¶Õ¹ÕŗÕ§Õ½ Õ¶Õ”Õ„Ö Õ“Õ”ÖÕ¤Õ”Õ½Õ§Ö ÕøÖ Õ°Õ”ÕµÕ”Õ½Õ§Ö ÕÕ”ÕæÕøÖÕ„Õ¬Õ« Ō±Õ¶Õ©ÕøÕ¶Õ« ÕÖÕ”ÖÕ© ÕÕøÕ¶Õ”ÖÕæÕ« Õ¶ÕøÖÕ«ÖÕøÖÕ”Õ® ÕµÕ«Õ·Õ”ÕæÕ”ÕÆÕ« Õ±Õ„Õ¼Õ¶Õ”ÖÕÆÕ« ÕØÕ¶Õ©Õ”ÖÖÕ«Õ¶: Vous connaissez la parole de notre Seigneur JĆ©sus Christ, rapportĆ©e par l’Evangile de Matthieu (25: 34-6). JĆ©sus dit qu’il a faim, soif,…
19 September 2015. His Holiness Aram I left for Switzerland upon the invitation of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Switzerland (FEPS) and ARMENOFAS, the Swiss-Armenian Foundation. The theme of the visit is ā100 years of friendship between the people of Switzerland and Armenians.ā His Holiness will preside over the special events in Begnins (Vaud…
18 September 2015. On Friday His Holiness Aram I received the visits of Bishops Michel Kassarji and Raphael Trablousi of the Chaldean Diocese of Beirut. The bishops invited the Catholicos to speak at the commemoration of their victims of Genocide on 24 October. During the meeting they also discussed the relations among the Christian Churches…
12 September 2015. On Saturday, His Holiness Aram I arrived in Anjar (Lebanon) to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the resistance of Musa Dagh. The Catholicos was accompanied by Bishop ShahĆ© Paossian, Prelate of the Diocese of Lebanon, and was met by the Mayor of Anjar, Garo Pamboukian, representatives of Armenian civil society organizations,…
10 September 2015. On Thursday Catholicos Aram I received a group representing the participants of the Ecumenical Consultation on Refugees, jointly organized by the World Conference of Churches (WCC) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). After a brief a presentation of the goals and expectations of the conference by WCC and MECC staff,…
In a keynote address at a conference organized by KAICIID on āSupporting the Citizenship Rights of Christians in the Middle Eastā, His Holiness Aram I developed his reflections in the following four points: Ā The importance of the inter-religious dialogue. Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions but they are not monolithic, they are different…
4 September 2015. On Friday His Holiness met with several Muslim & Christian Religious leaders and political personalities attending the conferencet; he also met with the representatives of the Diocese of Greece, Archbishop Toghramadjian, the Church Council and other related organizations. Ā His Holiness also spoke to the international and national media.
5 September 2015. His Holiness Aram I spoke at the International Conference organized by KAICIID Centre in Vienna, which was held in Athens in cooperation with The Ecumenical Patriarchate, on the theme, āSupporting citizenship rights and peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East.ā Over fifty Christian and Muslim leaders from the…
2 September 2015. On Wednesday morning, Catholicos Aram I was met at the Athens airport by Metropolitan Meliton and government officials. Ā In the afternoon His Holiness met His Beatitude Hieronymos II at his residence in the presence of several high-ranking clergy. After the official welcoming speech of the Archbishop, His Holiness spoke of…
31 August 2015. On Monday, His Holiness Aram I attended the Inter-Christian summit at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and state a common position on the current street protest and its consequences. In his intervention, Catholicos Aram I said that it is urgent that Lebanon elect a…
29 August 2015. On Saturday Catholicos Aram I, attended the Holy Mass at the St Maryās Syriac Catholic Monastery to celebrate the beatification of Flaviano Michel Melki by Pope Francis. The martyr Bishop was killed for his Christian faith during the same period as the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Ā At the end of…
A delegation representing the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia held a Requiem Service at the site of the historic Sis Catholicosate on August 22. The service was held in memory of the deceased Catholicoi who lived and served at the Sis Catholicosate from 1293-1915. His Holiness Aram Iās pontifical message was read during…
On Wednesday morning Catholicos Aram I received the recently appointed Ambassador of Greece to Lebanon H.E. Theodore Passas at St. Maryās Monastery. Ā After welcoming and congratulating the ambassador, His Holiness explained the history, mission and vocation of the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the present situation of the Armenian diaspora. Ā They also discussed the…
On August 22 a delegation representing the brotherhood of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia left for the Sis Catholicosate with the blessing of His Holiness Aram I. A requiem service was held in Sis for the blessed souls of deceased Catholicoi who lived and served at the Catholicosate of Sis from 1293-1915.…
22 August 2015. On Saturday morning the Patriarch visited his Holiness Aram I at St. Maryās Monastery in Bikfaya. The two spiritual leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, the plight of Christian communities in the region and issues related to the Middle East Council of Churches. Ā The Patriarch also informed His Holiness…
