By CNA Staff
London, England, May 27, 2022 / 03:00 am (CNA).
Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian is the new representative of Catholics at the Middle East Council of Churches.
The Armenian Catholic leader was elected to represent “the Catholic family” at the closing session of the council’s general assembly, held on May 16-20 in Wadi El-Natrun, northern Egypt.
He succeeds Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako, the leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church, reported ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.
The Middle East Council of Churches was founded in 1974 to bring together the region’s Evangelical, Oriental Orthodox, and Greek Orthodox Christians. Catholics joined the body in 1990. The council has four presidents, each representing one of its four constituent communions.
Patriarch Minassian, 75, became the 21st Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics in September 2021.
He succeeded Patriarch Gregory Peter XX Ghabroyan, who died in May 2021 at the age of 86.