ARCHBISHOP VICKEN AYKAZIAN APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

armradio.am
16.11.2007 10:31

The Armenian Assembly of America congratulates Archbishop Vicken
Aykazian who was installed as President of the National Council of
Churches (NCC) in the USA, which is the leading force for ecumenical
cooperation among Christians in the United States with 45 million
faithful members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states.

Archbishop Aykazian, who is the legate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern) in Washington, and ecumenical officer,
will serve as the 24th NCC President since the Council’s beginnings
in 1950. He is the third Orthodox president and the first from the
Oriental Orthodox tradition to lead the NCC.

Archbishop Aykazian studied theology at the Armenian Patriarchate in
Jerusalem and was ordained a deacon in 1968 and later a celibate priest
in 1971. In 1992, His Holiness Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians at
Holy Echmiadzin in Armenia, ordained him a bishop. He holds a Ph.D. in
history and is working on a second Ph.D. in theology at Catholic
University in Washington, DC. In addition to his contributions to
the NCC as a member of the Governing Board, he has been active in the
World Council of Churches as a member of the Mission and Evangelism
Unit, the Orthodox Task Force and the Central Committee.

The Assembly also commends the General Assembly NCC for urging Congress
to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 106).

During the NCC’s annual meeting last week, the General Assembly passed
a voice vote in support of the resolution. The NCC’s statement said,
in part, that the NCC "strongly urges the leadership of the US House
of Representatives to bring forth this legislation before the end of
this Congress."

"I believe that these types of meetings are extremely important for the
recognition of past genocides and the prevention of future genocides,"
said Archbishop Aykazian.