PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 10) 517 163
Fax: (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail: ktrij@etchmiadzin.am
Website:
April 18, 2006

Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ
in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

“We must take up the cross and follow the Lord, accomplish the good even
when confronted with obstacles, worship the One Who was crucified even to
the point of our own crucifixion, to see the stone of disbelief rolled away
from the grotto of faith and spirituality.” – Karekin II

On Sunday, April 16, the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord
Jesus Christ was celebrated by the worldwide Armenian Church. His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, celebrated
the Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Mother Cathedral of the Armenian people
– Holy Etchmiadzin.

Early in the morning, a religious parade was held in the city of
Vagharshapat with the blessings of His Holiness. More than one thousand
young men and women began walking from the Monastery of St. Hripsime to Holy
Etchmiadzin, led by drums and trumpets and under the singing of church
hymns. They arrived in the Mother See just in time to greet the Pontifical
procession of His Holiness as it began from the Residence of the Catholicos
toward the Mother Cathedral to celebrate the Easter Divine Liturgy.

Surrounded by thousands of faithful Armenians from Armenia and the Diaspora,
the convergence of the two processions as the Liturgy commenced infused
great spiritual joy and happiness into the atmosphere of the Mother See and
the emotions of the people. Assisting His Holiness as he celebrated the
Liturgy were His Grace Bishop Vicken Aikazian, Diocesan Legate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern); and His Grace Bishop
Vazgen Mirzakhanian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia.

The Mother Cathedral was filled to capacity, and the overflowing crowd in
the courtyard of the Mother See heard the message of the Pontiff, as he
declared: “Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of
Christ.”

The theme for His Holiness’ sermon was from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans,
“So that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). In his message to the
Armenian faithful in Armenia and the Dispersion, His Holiness stated in
part, “Two millennia after these events in the history of mankind, the
Glorious Resurrection of Christ grants the same consolation and happiness to
the living, through which we have the grace to pass from death to life, from
darkness to light. Today as well, the words of the Apostle are very timely
for nations and peoples, ‘As Christ was resurrected from the dead by the
glory of the Father, the same way we shall walk with a new life’. The world
as yet cannot completely realize this message – to walk with a new life in
paths of peace, reconciliation, love and brotherhood. Today also, many
greet the feast of the Resurrection in tumult and unease, in difficulties
and worries, and in the dangers of war. The world is tempest-tossed akin to
a biblical episode, but men are not eager to call upon the Lord, as did the
Apostles who pleaded with their Teacher to calm the storm. Resonating once
again today is the greeting of the Resurrected Savior: ‘Peace be with you’
(John 20:19), Who revealed his wounds and pierced side in order to bring the
world to faith, while the world shows its wounds to protest against God and
to depart from God.

“.In contrast to the fundamental problems facing mankind, the feast of
Resurrection is the grace-filled source of new inspiration, strengthening of
faith, and in the words of the Apostle, ‘to walk in a new life’. It
reinforces us to withstand difficult situations, and to establish peace,
hope and love in the lives of men. Throughout history, as in our time,
financial means and resources, mere secular understandings and
methodologies, have simply not been enough to face challenges, stop
socio-political confrontations, or triumph over the calamities of war. To
have a peaceful, just and philanthropic world, it is necessary to arm
ourselves today with spiritual armaments rather than deadly weapons. We
must take up the cross and follow the Lord, accomplish the good even when
confronted with obstacles, worship the One Who was crucified even to the
point of our own crucifixion, to see the stone of disbelief rolled away from
the grotto of faith and spirituality.

“.We too were called to see the dawning of the Resurrection of Christ.
Hope, joy and the strength of our faith in the Savior gave life to the
aspirations of our people and our culture, and guided the course of our
history. Passing through genocidal paths, our people always believed in
their new resurrected life with Christ, in their own rebirth. The
reestablishment of our statehood and the freedom of our people are realities
today in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. On the edges of our homeland and in
the Diaspora, all our people live with new hopes, aspirations and faith,
which for centuries has been unceasingly and without shadows dispersed from
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – from the ‘altars of light’ of our
churches. May our faith and hope in Christ continue to flow through the
arteries of our heart, transforming into the power to build the vigorous and
prosperous country dreamed of by our fathers, to keep our
national-ecclesiastical life vibrant, to ignite the lights of the future, as
well as to support and help all on the paths of realizing desires for peace,
liberty and justice.” – stated His Holiness.

>>From the See of the Apostles Saint Thaddeus and Saint Bartholomew, and the
Throne of the Illuminator, His Holiness addressed his Easter greetings,
blessings, congratulations and brotherly love to the Incumbents of the
Hierarchal Sees of the Armenian Church, the entire ranks of clergy, state
officials of the Armenians, and all faithful throughout the world.

Present during the Divine Liturgy were President of the Republic of Armenia
Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, President of the
Constitutional Court Gagik Haroutiunian, Ministers of the Government of the
Republic of Armenia and Members of the National Assembly (Parliament),
Ambassadors and the diplomatic corps of foreign governments, representatives
of sister Christian Churches, members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, and
thousands of faithful.

The entire Divine Liturgy was broadcast live via satellite to all Armenian
communities throughout Armenia and the world, including the Middle East,
Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, an official reception was hosted in the
Pontifical Residence for the dignitaries and guests in attendance. His
Holiness welcomed and congratulated the guests on the occasion of the
Glorious Resurrection of Christ and once more conveyed to them the great
tiding of: “Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of
Christ.”

Later in the afternoon, hundreds of children from the Armenian Church Youth
Centers converged on Holy Etchmiadzin and were received by His Holiness in
front of the Pontifical Residence. They came from throughout Armenia to
congratulate the Pontiff of All Armenians on the occasion of Easter. His
Holiness welcomed and blessed them, extending his fatherly love and best
wishes to the young boys and girls, their parents and teachers.

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