PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
“We must move forward with clear vision and firm commitment”
Stated His Holiness Aram I
Antelias, Lebanon – On Sunday 27 June 2004 the 9th Anniversary of the
election and consecration of His Holiness Aram I was celebrated in all
Armenian dioceses and churches all over the world under the jurisdiction of
the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia. On this occasion a special
thanksgiving service took place in the Armenian Cathedral, in Antelias,
Lebanon. In their speeches and interventions the celebrant and the senior
Archbishops emphasized the significant role that His Holiness had played in
the last nine years of his pontificate in different areas of the Armenian
Church’s mission. They also indicated that a number of important
achievements have been made under the leadership of Catholicos Aram I.
Speaking about his pontifical ministry, His Holiness Aram I said: “The 9th
Anniversary celebration is for me primarily an occasion to give thanks to
God for His gifts of life and ministry which made me to put the whole of my
life and abilities at the service of His Church. I have always perceived my
ministry as one of mission and I will continue in faithful obedience to the
call of God to carry on my God-given mission with renewed faith and strong
commitment. The 9th Anniversary celebration is also an occasion for me to
look back and realistically and objectively identify the failures and
successes of my ministry at home and abroad, in my Church and in the
ecumenical movement at large. Looking back must help us to look ahead more
clearly and courageously. Our Church is faced with tremendous challenges and
concerns; we cannot simply avoid them. To be a responsible Church in the
context of the present day world means to take these issues very seriously.
It means to become a relevant and a credible Church. This is how I see the
future of our Church and the way we must follow”.
At the end of his brief word His Holiness Aram I expressed his thanks and
appreciation to all those who have conveyed to His Holiness their sympathy
and best wishes on this joyful occasion.
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.