PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: cathcil@cathcil.org
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I EFFECTS A RECONCILIATION BETWEEN
THE COPTIC AND ETHIOPIAN CHURCHES

"You have made history". This is how a Coptic Metropolitan described the
reconciliation brought about by His Holiness Aram I between the Coptic
Orthodox and the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches. "This is a historical day",
said an Ethiopian Archbishop. These words were pronounced after the signing
of a Common Declaration, marking the end of more than two decades of tension
between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The
Common Declaration was signed on Friday 13 July 2007 at the Cathedral of the
Coptic Church in Cairo, with the signing of a Common Declaration by the
three spiritual heads: His Holiness Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and
Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, and His Holiness Abba Paulos, Patriarch of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Emphasizing "the importance of this historical meeting", the spiritual
heads reaffirmed their unity of faith which is "deeply rooted in the Holy
Scriptures, the Apostolic faith and Tradition, the three Ecumenical Councils
(Nicea 325, Constantinople 381, and Ephesus 431) and the teachings of church
fathers, specially St. Athanasius the Great, St. Cyril of Alexandria and St.
Gregory the Illuminator."

After expressing their "deep thanks to Catholicos Aram I for his fraternal
efforts to bring this historic meeting into reality", Pope Shenouda and
Patriarch Paulos committed themselves to deepen and expand their bilateral
collaboration. Greeting this historic event, Aram I said: "We can not ignore
or change the past; we can change the future with renewed faith, hope and
vision."

The meeting in Cairo was preceded by another meeting in Addis Ababa
between Catholicos Aram I and Patriarch Paulos. In their Joint Declaration
they stressed the need to strengthen the cooperation between the Oriental
Orthodox Churches in the area of Christian education, theological formation,
justice and peace. They called for "the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
by the International Community as the first genocide of the 20th Century
just as they recognized the Rwandan Genocide as the last genocide of the
20th Century".

Commenting on the role of the Oriental Orthodox Churches His Holiness Aram
I, the former Moderator of the World Council of Churches said: "Unity must
be translated into a quality of life undergirded by close collaboration,
joint action and common vision. The churches are the limbs of the one body
of Christ; they can not live in isolation; they are interrelated".

He then continued "The Oriental Orthodox Churches with their theology,
spirituality and long history of martyrdom and witness have a unique
contribution to make to the Christian self-understanding and mission in a
new world context" and to the ecumenical movement".

The Oriental Orthodox Family is composed of the Syrian, Coptic, Armenian,
Ethiopian, Indian and Eritrean Churches. These Churches have world-wide
Diaspora and are active in the ecumenical movement.

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View the photos here:
tos/Photos14.htm
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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 Ecumenical
activities 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.