From: Catholicosate of Cilicia <info@armenianorthodoxchurch.org>
Subject: ANTELIAS: Unity Must Remain High Pri For Ecumenical Movement – HH

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: info@armenianorthodoxchurch.org
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

"UNITY MUST REMAIN A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT"
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

His Holiness Aram I made this appeal on the occasion of the blessing of the
Holy Muron in Antelias. He emphasized the deep meaning of the Holy Muron in
the Armenian Church in baptism and confirmation. Baptism with water and
anointment with the Holy Muron, he said, leads us into a common life in
Jesus Christ. The baptized, as the community of believers, are the church.
Baptism leads Christians towards achieving God’s gift of visible unity in
one faith.

In the course of history, geographical, cultural and doctrinal differences
have frequently divided the churches. According to His Holiness these
divisive characteristics of the church belong to its institutional
expression and not to its esse. The churches are called to work for visible
unity and heal these wounds in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The World Council of Churches was established in 1948 as an instrument to
assist churches towards achieving the goal of unity. Despite the efforts of
the Commission on Faith and Order to respond to different understandings of
unity arising from different world contexts and world views, and despite the
Commission’s efforts, with the active participation of the Roman Catholic
theologians, to initiate convergence processes in the critical areas of
ecclesiology and doctrine, the ecumenical movement has failed to achieve a
common vision of unity. There are a number of reasons for this failure. The
churches and confessional families are preoccupied with their own domestic
problems. They prefer bilateral dialogues to multilateral commitments. And,
the ecumenical movement, by adopting new priorities in response to the new
realities of the world, has shifted away from the vision of unity as its
raison d’être. Catholicos Aram I is clear on this point: "The vision of
unity should remain the overarching goal for witness and service, for
growing together in fellowship and in acting together".

Aram I, who has served as Moderator of the WCC for 15 years, firmly believes
that "the ecumenical movement should not compromise unity for new types of
relationships and new concerns" In his view, "unfortunately, we observe this
phenomenon not only on the global level, but also in regional and national
ecumenical bodies. We observe this trend not only among younger member
churches but also among those churches that have played a major role in the
formation and expansion of the modern ecumenical movement. Unity must
recover its central place in the ecumenical movement. Otherwise, the
ecumenical movement will lose its meaning and importance and will become
disoriented, will disintegrate and will be replaced by coalitions, alliances
and forums".

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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.