On the eve of the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ, January 5th, 2020, His Holiness Aram I presided over the Christmas Vigil Service (Jrakaluyts – Lighting of the Candles), at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, in Antelias. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Grand Sacristan lit…
On Saturday, January 4th, 2020, His Holiness Aram I received Toufic Baaklini, President of the “In Defense of Christians” (IDC) organization, accompanied by Alexis Moukarzel, IDC Representative in Lebanon. Based in Washington, IDC includes representatives from various state, political, religious and non-governmental organizations and advocates for the protection and preservation of Christians and Christianity…
On Monday, January 30th, 2019, on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas, His Holiness Aram I paid visits to the Armenian Elderly Home – CAHL and the Armenian Relief Cross of Lebanon, in Bourdj Hamoud, as well as the Armenian Educational Benevolent Union, in Hadjin. During the visits, His Holiness expressed his…
On Saturday evening, December 28th, 2019, V. Rev. Fr. Levon Yeghiayan and V. Rev. Fr. Oshin Tchvalertanian presented their theses to His Holiness Aram I and defended them in the presence of the members of the Cilician Brothers, at the Main Hall of the Catholicosate. On Sunday, December 29th, 2019, under the auspices of…
On Saturday, December 28th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the visit of Dr. Abbas Khamayar, who is in charge of cultural activities if the Iranian embassy in Lebanon. The agenda of the meeting included mainly issues related to inter-religious dialogue.
On Sunday, December 22nd, 2019, the Armenian Church, Catholicosate of Cilicia, celebrated the feast of the Deacon and Protomartyr St. Stephen. Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian celebrated the Divine Liturgy, presided over by His Holiness Aram I, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias. Archbishop Shahan delivered the sermon, where he highlighted the importance of…
Under the patronage of His Holiness Aram I, the Library of the Catholicosate of Cilicia organized a book launch event of the Armenian composer and conductor Parsegh Ganatchian’s musical collection (two volumes), on Thursday evening, at the Cilicia Museum. The opening speech was delivered by Ms. Shoghig Yepremian, member of the “Shnorhali” Choir of the…
On Sunday, December 15th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the Executive Director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Haykak Arshamyan and the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Lebanon H.E. Vahagn Atabekyan. The meeting was an opportunity to give a general overview of the activities and future plans of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.
Under the patronage of His Holiness Aram I, the “Shnorhali” choir of the Catholicosate of Cilicia marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of the prominent Armenian ethnomusicologist Gomidas Vartabed, on Friday evening, December 13th, 2019, at Sts. Vartanants Church, in Bourdj Hamoud. Rev. Fr. Zareh Nadjarian is the conductor of the choir composed…
On Friday, December 13th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received members from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau headed by ARF Bureau Representative Hagop Der Khatchadourian. During the meeting they discussed issues pertaining Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian Diaspora, as well as talked about the challenges faced by the Armenians in general, and stressed the…
On December 11th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received a letter from the Chair of the special delegates council of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople Khatchig Janel informing that H.B. Sahak Mashalian was elected as the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. His Holiness extended a congratulatory letter to Bishop Mashalian in which he expressed his…
His Holiness Aram I held phone conversations with the president of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and the president of the Republic of Artsakh Bako Sahakian, and briefed them on the current situation of Lebanon and Lebanese Armenians. In turn, they expressed their solidarity and assured to take practical steps in the near future.
On Saturday, December 7th, 2019, the directors of the three Lebanese Armenian dailies visited His Holiness Aram I. The purpose of the visit was to express their gratitude for the financial support to their newspapers that His Holiness extended during the Lebanese Crisis and the year of the Armenian Press. Aram I commended the…
On Sunday, 8th of December, 2019, a Requiem for the souls of the fallen victims of the devastating earthquake in Spitak, Gyumri and Vanadzor, in 1988, was held at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, in Antelias, presided over by His Holiness Aram I.
On Thursday, December 5th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the Lay and the Religious Councils of the Diocesan Council of Lebanon, headed by the Prelate Archbishop Nareg Alemezian. Archbishop Nareg expressed his gratitude to Aram I, who had recently made a donation of 100 Million Lebanese Pounds to the Prelacy of Lebanon to…
On Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in Lebanon H.E. Mr. Vahagn Atapekyan. They discussed the recent situation in Armenia and Lebanon.
“The Armenian Church,” authored by His Holiness Aram I, is now released in Russian. The book is translated by Lilit Aghekyan and is published thanks to the financial support of Gary and Janis Arvanigian. You can find the book in Persian, German, French and Arabic translations, while translations into other languages will be published…
This year, the feast of the founders of the Armenian Church: the apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew, was marked on December 1st, 2019. On this occasion a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of the Catholicosate, in Antelias. Presided over by His Holiness Aram I and celebrated by V. Rev.…
On Thursday evening, November 29th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the newly elected committee of the Armenian Church University Students’ Association (ACUSA), headed by the newly appointed Spiritual Advisor V. Rev. Fr. Barouyr Shernezian, and gave his blessing for their forthcoming activities. During the meeting, His Holiness shared his thoughts on the crucial…
On Thursday, November 29th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Lebanese MP Neemat Frem, who had conducted the visit to hear the Catholicos’ viewpoints on the current situation in Lebanon and on means to overcome the challenges. After exchanging opinions, His Holiness underlined that the people’s outrage cannot be ignored, specially that it has…
On Behalf of His Holiness Aram I, Bishop Shahe Panossian participated at the International Conference on Christian Persecution in Budapest, Hungary, held on the 24 to the 27th of November, and delivered the Catholicos’ message. In his message, Catholicos Aram I stated that the present times are ruled by violence, and the Muslim violent fundamentalism…
On Thursday, November 28th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received a delegation from the Prelacy of Peria (Syria), headed by Bishop Masis Zoboyan. In attendance was also Hratch Hagopian, member of the Lay Council of the Central Executive Council of the Holy See of Cilicia During the meeting, they discussed issues concerning Armenians of Syria,…
In collaboration with the Center for Continuing Education at Haigazian University (HU), and with the blessing and patronage of His Holiness Aram I, the Armenian Theological Seminary organized a course titled “Psycho-Social Formation and Development of Skills.” The official opening of the course was held on Monday evening, November 25th, 2019, in the presence of…
On Tuesday, November 26th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received a phone call from the President of the Republic of Artsakh H.E. Mr. Pago Sahakian. The two discussed issues concerning the situation in Lebanon.
The Diocesan National Representative Assembly of the Prelacy of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar held a special session on Saturday, November 23rd, 2019, and unanimously elected the Pontifical Vicar of the UAE and Qatar Bishop Mesrob Sarkissian as Prelate. After the election, the Assembly informed His Holiness Aram I of the results and…
On Saturday, November 23rd, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the newly elected Central Committee of Homenetmen, in his library in Antelias. After being briefed about the organization’s forthcoming programs and projects, the Catholicos commended Homenetmen’s efforts, and stated that their actions are expression of their mission. Moreover; His Holiness re-emphasized the championing of…
On Tuesday, November 19th, the committee members of the theatre company having their upcoming performance on 150th anniversary of Gomidas Vartabed’s birth, the Armenian prominent musicologist and composer, visited His Holiness Aram I, and officially invited him to their play. Sponsored by the KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir, the musical play is written in…
On Friday 8th and Saturday 9th of November, 2019, on behalf of the Armenian Church, Catholicosate of Cilicia, Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, Director of the Library and Ancient Book Department at the Catholicosate, participated at the international conference “The Rescue of Armenians in the Middle East, 1915-1923” organized by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, in Armenia, and…
On Friday, November 15th, 2019, the Central Committee of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of Lebanon visited His Holiness Aram I and talked about the current situation in Lebanon.
On Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon H.E. Vahagn Atabekyan. They discussed matters related to the current situation of Lebanon and Armenia.
The Anglican–Oriental Orthodox International Commission held its eighth meeting from 28th of October to 1st of November 2019in Cairo, Egypt, hosted by the Anglican Church of Egypt. V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate, participated in the meeting. Following its agenda for the official dialogue, the Commission resumed its work on…
On Monday, November 4th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Dr. Avedis Dakessian, member of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party Ramgavar, accompanied by Joseph Ganimian, member of the Spiritual Council of the Holy See Etchmiadzin. During the meeting they discussed matters related to the current situation in Armenia and challenges concerning the Armenia-Diaspora relations.
Following the instruction of His Holiness Aram I, two young Cilician brothers V. Rev. Fr. Dajad Ashekian and V. Rev. Fr. Barouyr Shernezian return to the Catholicosate, in Antelias, after completing their education and pastoral service in the USA. Fr. Dajad is appointed as supervisor at the Armenian Theological Seminary and Fr. Barouyr is appointed…
Under the presidency of His Holiness Aram I, the Lay Council of the Central Council held its meeting on October 30th, 2019, at the Catholicosate and discussed the following topics: property and construction, finance and administration, the Armenian district in Fanar, project Byblos, the “Nor Cilicia” Village in the Republic of Artsakh, issues concerning the…
On October 29th to 31st, 2019, the Central Council of the National General Assembly convened at the Catholicosate, under the presidency of His Holiness Aram I. Firstly, the Religious Council of the Central Council held its session on Tuesday, October 29th, 2019, and discussed the following topics: Christian education, ecumenical relations, youth involvement in…
The meetings of the Central Council of the Armenian Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, presided by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, warmly congratulates the adoption of the resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This is indeed a pivotal achievement and a decisive step on…
On Tuesday, October 29th, 2019, the Central Committee of the National General Assembly convened at the Catholicosate, presided over by His Holiness Aram I. The Religious Council of the Assembly held its meeting on the first day, while Lay Council will meet on the second day, and finally, the Joint Assembly will convene on…
On October 8th to 10th, 2019, the Annual Conference of Secretaries of World Christian Communions was held in Christiansfeld, Denmark. V. Rev. Fr. Boghos Tinkjian participated at the conference on behalf of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, and presented the ecumenical initiatives and challenges, as well as future plans of the Church. The upcoming annual…
With the blessing and upon the invitation of His Holiness Aram I, on Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th October, 2019, the meeting of the Oriental Orthodox Church Council in the Middle East was held at the Catholicosate of Cilicia, in Antelias. Archbishop Nareg Alemezian, Prelate of Lebanon, Bishop Magar Ashkarian, Grand Sacristan of the…
“Let the whole world witness that while Turkish armed forces commit massacres in Syria, the Armenian army is serving for peace in Southern Lebanon” His Holiness Aram I On Saturday, October 12th, 2019, the Armenian Troop of the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, headed by the Armenian Ambassador in Lebanon H.E. Vahagn Atabekyan, visited…
On Monday, October 14th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Tristan Azbej, State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christian, accompanied by Dr Geza Mihalyi, Ambassador of Hungary to Lebanon. The purpose of the visit was to hear from His Holiness about the overall situation in the Middle East, especially regarding the challenges faced…
On Friday, October 11th, 2019, the Hamazkayin Central visited His Holiness Aram I. During the meeting, His Holiness commended the committee’s dedication to their mission in maintaining and spreading the Armenian Culture. In turn, the Hamazkayin Central expressed their gratitude for the cooperation they receive from the Armenian Prelacies of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. …
Under the high auspices of His Holiness Aram I, renovations of St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral were carried out over the last few months thanks to the generous donation of Mr. and Mrs. Hovsep and Elizabeth Boyadjian from the Western Prelacy. The blessing of the Mother Cathedral was celebrated on Saturday, October 12th, 2019,…
On Friday morning, October 11th, His Holiness Aram I received the newly-appointed Norwegian Ambassador to Lebanon H.E. Ms. Leni Stenseth. His Holiness briefed the ambassador about the situation in the Middle East and Lebanon, as well as about the Armenian Church and its people.
His Holiness Aram I is in constant contact with the Catholicosal Vicar Rev. Fr. Levon Yeghiayan midst the Turkish military offensive in Syria and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing. Fr. Levon detailed the Catholicos about the situation stating that the Armenian populated area of Qamishli is not under immediate danger. He added that…
On October 8th, 2019, the Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon Vahagn Atabekyan visited His Holiness Aram I and delivered him a letter on behalf of the President of the Artsakh Republic Pako Sahakian. The meeting was also an opportunity totalk about the current phase of Armenia-Diaspora relations.
On Sunday, October 6th, 2019, under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I, an ordination and consecration ceremony was performed by Bishop Masis Zoboyan, Prelate of Peria (Syria), with V. Rev. Fr. Zaven Najarian as sponsor priest, during the Divine Liturgy at Sts. Forty Martyrs Cathedral in Aleppo, Syria. Deacon George Brikhanian was ordained and…
On Sunday, October 6th, a meeting was held in Geneva between the President of the Republic of Armenia H.E. Armen Sarkissian and His Holiness Aram I. The meeting was followed by a lunch.
On October 5th, 2019, a meeting took place between His Holiness Aram I and the representatives of the UN office for Syria, in Geneva. The focus of discussion was the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (2254) which calls the drafting of a new constitution for Syria. A committee composed of 50 representing the government,…
The two-days theological discussion between the Armenian Church, Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Union of Utrecht was concluded on Thursday afternoon, October 3rd, 2019. These sessions commenced two years ago at the Catholicosate, in Antelias, upon the proposition of the Old Catholic Church, and aim to bring clarification about the churches’ position and theology…
Continuing his official visit to the Netherlands, on Wednesday morning, October 2nd, 2019, His Holiness Aram I, along with the Archbishop of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands, Joris Vercammen, met with the Chair of the parliament committee of the ruling party’s foreign relations, in the Hague, where they talked about issues…
Upon the invitation of the Archbishop of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands, Joris Vercammen, His Holiness Aram I departed to the Netherlands. At the airport, the Catholicos was received by the Archbishop and, together with the delegation accompanying His Holiness, they proceeded to Utrecht, where the headquarters of the Old…
At the invitation of The Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands His Holiness Aram I departed to the Netherlands. He will give two lectures on ecumenism and the Middle East and preside over a meeting aimed at discussion of theological and socio-ethical issues. The meeting brings together theologians of the Old Catholic Church and…
On Friday evening, September 27th, 2019, a Cilician brotherhood meeting was held at St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya presided over His Holiness Aram I, and attended by 5 bishops and 20 vartabeds (priests). Delivering the welcoming remarks, His Holiness expressed his pleasure over brotherhoods’ perseverance in serving the community over the summer both in…
His Holiness Aram I is closely following the renovation of the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator and the Cilicia Museum that are kindly being funded by church members from the Western Prelacy, namely by Mr. and Mrs. Hovsep & Elizabeth Boyadjian and Mr. and Mrs. Garo & Sossé Eshgiyan. Note that the restoration of…
On Thursday, September 19th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received condolence visits from ministers, ambassadors, high ranking officials and representatives from the Armenian Community, over the passing of his mother. The Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid bin Abdullah Bukhari also paid a condolence visit to the Catholicos. The visit was an opportunity to exchange…
On Wednesday, September 18th, 2019, the funeral service of Lousin Keshishian, the mother of His Holiness Aram I, took place in the Catholicosate of Cilicia. Present at the service were the representatives of the Lebanese President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Parliament , religious leaders and representatives, the brotherhood, the National Central…
On September 17, 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II visited His Holiness Aram I. to offer his condolences on the passing away of late Lousine Keshishian, mother of Aram I.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Hamazkayin Lucy Tutunjian Art Gallery and at the request of the Hamazkayin family, His Holiness Aram I decorated Mr. and Mrs. Garbis and Lucy Tutunjian with the “St. Mesrob Mashdots” insignia for their significant contributions in the national, religious, cultural and social spheres of the Lebanese…
With a great pleasure we announce the release of the Persian translation of His Holiness Aram I’s “The Armenian Church” under the title «كليساى ارمنى». Ordered by Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Tehran, the book is translated by Rev. Michel Aghamalian and is published thanks to the financial support of Mr.…
On Tuesday, September 10th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Mr. Jan Kubis, in Bikfaya. During the meeting they discussed the current situation in Lebanon, challenges of the Middle East, the Christian presence in the region, Christian-Muslim dialogue and the role of the UN on the international…
The Catholicosate of Cilicia is a stop for pilgrims coming from around the world. They visit and tour the Catholicosate in Antelias and the Monastery in Bikfaya, and learn about the mission of the Holy See of Cilicia in various fields. Recently, a group of clergymen from the Lutheran Church in Denmark visited…
On Saturday, September 7th, 2019, a special presentation was organized by the team of the project “Safeguarding the Survival of the Rescued Treasures of the Armenian Catholicosate of Sis” entitled “Living Manuscripts and their Environment,” with the attendance of His Holiness Aram I, at the Armenian Theological Seminary, in Bikfaya. Present were also the Cilician…
On Friday, September 6th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the UNIFIL Sector West Commander, Brigadier General Bruno Pisciotta, accompanied by two of his assistants. They talked about the UN’s UNIFIL mission in Lebanon in peacekeeping. The meeting was also an opportunity to talk about the UNIFIL Armenian troop. General Pisciotta spoke highly of…
In the recent week, a consultation meeting was held at the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias between the Armenian Church and representatives from the National Organization of Organ Donation and Tissue Transplantation (NOD-LB) working under the umbrella of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. In attendance were H.G. Bishop Magar Ashkarian, Rev. Fr. Megerditch Keshishian…
His Holiness Aram I announced the new appointments of the Cilician Brotherhood both at the Catholicosate in Antelias and at the Prelacies worldwide as follows: -H.E. Arch. Shahan Sarkissian: Director of the Library, replacing H.E. Arch. Dirayr Panossian, who recently retired. -H.G. Bishop Meghrig Parikian: Director of the Birds’ Nest Orphanage in Byblos.…
His Holiness Aram I appointed V. Rev. Fr. Bedros Manuelian as Pontifical Vicar of the Armenian Prelacy of Kuwait and its neighboring countries. Fr. Bedros has served the Catholicosate through several positions, and in recent years, he was the director of the Information and Communication Department.
On 30 July 2019, under the leadership of His Holiness Aram I, the legal team of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia filed a case in the 2nd Kozan Court of First Instance against the Kozan Municipality and the Turkish State Treasury for the return of the Monastery and Catherdral of St. Sophia, the historical centre…
At the request of His Holiness Aram I, Mr. and Mrs. Garo and Sossé Eshgiyan, church members from the Western Prelacy, are funding the renovation of the Cilicia Museum; and Mr. and Mrs. Hovsep and Elizabeth Boyadjian, also from the Western Prelacy, are funding the renovation of St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral. The renovations…
In 2020, we will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Aram I. On this occasion, the National Central Committee (NCC) has formed a special council to mark the 25 years of the pontifical mission and service of the Catholicos. The special council is composed of the co-chairs of the Religious…
The renovations of St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral of the Catholicosate of Cilicia commenced on August 20th, 2019, thanks to the generous donation of Mr. and Mrs. Hovsep & Elizabeth Boyadjian. The renovations will be completed in about two months, during which the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Mausoleum chapel, next to the…
On June 8th, 2019, the Diocesan National Representative Assembly of the Armenian Prelacy of Peria (Syria) elected His Grace Bishop Masis Zoboyan as the new prelate of the prelacy. His Holiness Aram I ratified the election in a Pontifical letter directed to the Assembly wishing the newly elected prelate success in his mission. The…
On Saturday, August 17th, 2019, the Armenian Church marked the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the Pilgrimage Day of St. Mary Monastery in front of the open-air altar, in Bikfaya. His Holiness presided over the Divine Liturgy, celebrated by Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, and sung by the “Naregatsi” children’s choir, led by…
On Friday evening, August 16th, 2019, on the eve of the feast of Assumption of St. Mary and the St. Mary Monastery Pilgrimage Day, a pilgrimage-march took place from St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, in Antelias, to St. Mary Monastery, in Bikfaya, for the third consecutive year. More than one thousand faithful, including the Cilician…
Under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I and organized by the Christian Education Department, a week of special services, prayers, Bible studies, and daily celebration of the Divine Liturgy was held on 12th to 16th of August 2019, at St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya, dedicated to the St. Mary Monastery’s Pilgrimage Day. The…
On Monday, August 12th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received the Ambassador of Armenia in Lebanon Vahagn Atapekyan and the Ambassador of Lebanon in Vatican Farid El Khazen, respectively. During his meeting with Mr. Atapekyan, His Holiness discussed issues pertaining Armenia–Diaspora relations, while with Mr. El Khazen, the Catholicos discussed the Christian–Muslin conference to…
The Catholicosate of Cilicia is happy to announce the approval of the German government to support a Conservation and Restoration Project of its rare manuscripts within the collection of the Rescued Treasures of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. The project is entitle Safeguarding the Survival of the Rescued Treasures of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia…
On Tuesday, August 6th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Dr. Farid El Khazen, Lebanese Ambassador to the Vatican. Dr. El Khazen briefed His Holiness on the projects and developments in the relations between Lebanon and Vatican.
The Catholicosate of Cilicia, with the combined efforts of the Christian Education Department and the Armenian Theological Seminary, is holding its Summer Youth Academy for the second year, in Antelias. Armenian youth coming from the USA and Canada will spend two weeks at the Catholcosate to participate in an intensive program of the Bible, history…
His Holiness Aram I, after receiving the sad news of the passing of prof. Vahakn Dadrian on Sunday, August 4th, 2019, expressed his sorrow and stated that his passing away is a loss for the demands of the Armenian Cause. In 1999, His Holiness Aram I had bestowed upon the Prominent Armenian-American scholar and…
On Sunday, August 4th, 2019, during the Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, His Holiness Aram I authorized the granting of the first four ranks of Vartabed to Rev. Fr. Bsag Tepirjian, Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, Rev. Fr. Zaven Najarian and Rev. Fr. Ardavazt Sharoyan. Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian was The Celebrant…
On Saturday evening, August 3rd, 2019, at the Armenian Theological Seminary’s auditorium in Bikfaya, Rev. Fr. Bsag Tepirjian, Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, Rev. Fr. Zaven Najarian and Rev. Fr. Ardavazt Sharoyan defended their Doctoral theses in front of His Holiness Aram I. Their research projects focused on the analysis of correspondence between Catholicoi of Cilicia…
On Friday, August 2nd, 2019, the Ambassador of Armenia to the Vatican Karen Nazaryan and his wife visit His Holiness Aram I. Nazaryan is also the representative of the Republic of Armenia to the Order of Malta. The visit was an opportunity to talk about the relations between Vatican and the Catholicosate of Cilicia.…
On Tuesday, July 30th, a Christian-Muslim Summit was held at the Druze headquarters, in Beirut. His Holiness Aram I was present at the Summit accompanied by the Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon Archbishop Nareg Alemezian. The Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan delivered the opening remarks underlining that maintaining the inner unity…
On Monday evening, July 29th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I decorated artist Krikor Agopian with the “St. Mesrob Mashdots” insignia, during a special ceremony held at the auditorium of the Armenian Theological Seminary, in Bikfaya. Addressing the artist in the special Encyclical issued on the occasion, His Holiness states that Agopian is a prominent…
On Friday, July 26th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received Dr. Rev. Najla Kassab, President of World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), accompanied by Rev. Megerditch Karageozian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the current situation of the Ecumenical movement, especially…
On July 12, 2019, His Holiness Aram I met with the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Dr. Nadia El Cheikh, and Dr. Ohannes Geukjian, from AUB’s Department of Political Studies and Public Administration, to discuss the establishment of a $1 million endowed fund for Armenian…
On Friday, July 26th, 2019, a delegation representing the Druze sect visited His Holiness Aram I and extended to His Holiness an invitation on behalf of Sheikh Aql Druze Sheikh Naim Hassan for the Christian-Muslim Summit to be held on the coming Tuesday. During the meeting, the delegation expressed appreciation of the efforts of…
16th to 19th of July, 2019, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) held its annual executive committee meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian participated at this meeting on behalf of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. The meetings commenced with prayers and the moderator of CCA Archbishop Dr. Willem T.P Simarmata’s opening address. Consequently,…
On Wednesday evening, July 24th, 2019, the committee of the Lebanese Forces visited His Holiness Aram I. After extending the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s greetings and his respects to the Lebanese Armenian Community, the committee briefed the Catholicos the recent unfolding situation in Lebanon and informed him their stance. They also discussed the current…
On Friday, July 19th, 2019, Dr. Avedis Dakessian, Representative of the Central Committee of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party. They discussed issues pertaining the Armenia-Diaspora relations and matters concerning the party. Moreover, Dr. Dakessian briefed His Holiness the decisions taken at the Party’s General Assembly and presented him their forthcoming activities on behalf of the…
On Thursday morning, July 18th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I commended the accomplishments of In Defense of Christians (IDC) team in Washington in his speech addressing Toufiq Baaklini, president and chair of IDC. On the previous day, by the initiative of In Defense of Christians, an ecumenical prayer service was held at the…
On Monday, July 15th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received a delegation of artists from the Republic of Armenia who took part in a summer festival in Bikfaya, under the title “Charming Armenia in Bikfaya.” The artists and His Holiness talked about the importance of the Armenian culture in maintaining the Armenian identity. His…
Vahagn Atabekyan, the ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Lebanon, visits His Holiness Aram I, in his summer residence in Bikfaya. The visit was an opportunity to evaluate the Pan-Armenian Conference on Armenian Media and Press, which took place the previous week. They both emphasized that the significance of the conference lied in…
On the evening of Friday, July 12th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I delivered a lecture to a group of young representatives of Middle East Churches from the Ecumenical Institute for the Middle East. The lecture entitled “The Church in the Current world.” His Holiness talked about the church as the Christ’s body and underlined…
Friday, June 28th, 2019 became a significant date for His Holiness Aram I, because it is the day that the Catholicos took the risk and crossed the border to the Northern Cyprus, occupied by Turkey, and paid a visit to the Armenian historical and spiritual centers. Accompanied by Archbishop Khoren Doghramajian, Catholicosal Vicar in…
Renovations for the “Cilicia” Museum of the Catholicosate of Cilicia commenced. Upon the request of His Holiness Aram I, Mr. Garo Eshkiyan, chair of the executive council of the Western Prelacy, will be sponsoring the renovation. Note that the restoration process will take around two months during which the Museum will not be open for…
On Monday, July 8th, 2019, His Holiness Aram I received, in Bikfaya, the committees of the three Lebanese Armenian dance troupes: “Arek” from “Nor Serount” Cultural Association, “Knar” from Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society and “Arin” from Armenian General Benevolent Union – Armenian Youth Association. These three dance troupes had performed together in an…
On Tuesday, July 9th, 2019, the newly formed committee of the “Shnorhali” choir of the Catholicosate of Cilicia met with His Holiness Aram I, in his summer residence in Bikfaya. The committee was headed by the conductor Rev. Fr. Zaven Najarian. The Catholicos saluted the visit and commended the achievements of the choir under…
