PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Prelate, Western United States
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
Email: [email protected]
For more information:
Zanku Armenian (818) 243-3557
Mercata Group
(Los Angeles, Calif. – September 30, 2005) Two floor statements were made in
the U.S. Senate this week by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Diane
Feinstein (D-CA) welcoming His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great
House Of Cilicia, to California for his upcoming October visit. Below are
the texts of their statements:
IN CELEBRATION OF THE PONTIFICAL VISIT OF HIS HOLINESS ARAM I, CATHOLICOS OF
THE GREAT HOUSE OF CILICIA, TO CALIFORNIA
Mrs. Boxer. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to recognize the
Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia, to my home state of California in October, 2005.
The Catholicos represents the Great House of Cilicia, an historic Armenian
religious center established in 1441. The Catholicosate was relocated to
Antelias, Lebanon following the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide, which
included destruction of houses of worship in Cilicia. Today, His Holiness
Aram I represents hundreds of thousands of Armenian American Christians, as
well as Armenians across the Near East. The Armenian faith is 1700 years
old and it is significant that Armenia was the first nation to officially
adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD.
The Catholicos’ spiritual, cultural and educational influence extends well
beyond the Armenian people. His Holiness Aram I, who holds a Master of
Divinity, a Master of Sacred Theology, a Ph.D., and several honorary
degrees, has authored numerous articles and texts in Armenian, English and
French, some of which have been translated into other languages. The
Catholicos has worked to strengthen interfaith relations between Christian
and Muslim communities. In 1974, the Catholicos was one of the founding
members of the Middle East Council of Churches.
His Holiness Aram I was elected as Moderator of the Central and Executive
Committees of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a renowned organization
which represents over 400 million Christians worldwide. The WCC brings
together over 340 churches and denominations in more than 100 countries
throughout the world. The Catholicos is the first Orthodox, first Middle
Easterner and youngest person to hold this position and his unanimous
re-election as Moderator in 1998 was exceptional in the history of the WCC.
During his trip to California, which is titled “Towards the Light of
Knowledge,” the Catholicos will visit churches as well as educational and
cultural institutions in Los Angeles, Fresno and San Francisco. This
momentous visit was initiated by His Eminence, Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of
America to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the
1600th Anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet.
I am honored to recognize this milestone visit to California by a
distinguished Armenian and world leader. I wish both the Catholicos and the
Armenian community in California a renewed sense of purpose and inspiration
from this visit.
Thank you. I yield the floor.
PONTIFICAL VISIT OF HIS HOLINESS ARAM I — (Senate – September 27, 2005)
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to join the Armenian American
community in welcoming the upcoming Pontifical visit of His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. The Pontiff will be visiting the
State of California this October at the invitation of His Eminence,
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of America.
His Holiness is one of the most prominent Christian leaders in the Middle
East and a spiritual leader for hundreds of thousands of Armenians around
the world. The Pontiff presently serves as the Moderator for the World
Council of Churches which is comprised of more than 340 churches from
different cultures and countries around the world representing over 400
million Christians. Currently serving his second term, His Holiness is the
first Orthodox and the youngest person to be elevated to Moderator.
The theme of the Pontiff’s visit is “Towards the Light of Knowledge.” This
theme reflects the Pontiff’s faith that only with greater education and
dialogue can the world’s conflicts be addressed properly.
I take this opportunity to not only thank The Pontiff for his time and
worthy endeavors in California, but also thank the sizable Armenian
community which has been actively contributing to the California culture and
economy since 1878. California cities of Los Angeles and Glendale are home
to the second and third largest populations of Armenians outside of Armenia
and are important members of their communities serving as business leaders
and city council members.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress