PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:
"ECUMENISM MUST BE OWNED BY THE CHURCHES, OTHERWISE, IT MAY BECOME A
MOVEMENT OUT OF THE REACH OF THE CHURCHES"
SAID HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
In a key note lecture on "Ecumenism in the 21st Century", His Holiness Aram
I challenged the churches "to re-own the ecumenical movement, otherwise, it
may become an extra-ecclesiam movement embracing NGOs and different actors
of civil society". According to Catholicos Aram I, the ecumenical movement
"being a gift and a call of God, the churches are called to play a leading
role in promoting the ecumenical values and cause".
Referring to present state of ecumenism, Aram I said that "ecumenism is not
in crisis, the churches’ response to ecumenism is in jeopardy. It looks that
the churches have different priorities and ecumenism has become a marginal
concern for them. Therefore, this stagnated situation needs a serious
diagnosis". His Holiness identified a number of areas and concerns which
require deeper discussion.
According to Aram I, who has served for two terms as Moderator of the World
Council of Churches, "to become an ecumenism in and for the 21st century,
the ecumenical movement must respond to the challenges of modern societies".
Then His Holiness posed a crucial question: what kind of ecumenism we need
for the 21st century? Responding to this question, he said that we need an
ecumenism: "a) which brings the churches out of their frozen
institutionalism, localism, confessionalism, excluvism and bilateralism and
engages them in interactive relations and global fellowship; b) which is
faithful to its raison d’être, at the same time, responsive to emerging
realities; c) which embraces the whole people of God and makes difference in
the life of people; d) which has a prophetic role to play in the life of
modern societies as the voice of the voiceless and the messenger of the
Gospel".
##
View the photos here:
tos443.htm
*****
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.