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: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I DELIVERS A LECTURE DURING THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY
CONFERENCE OF EUROPE’S ORTHODOX COUNTRIES
The second inter-parliamentary conference of the Orthodox countries of
Europe kicked off in Athens on April 18. The main theme of the conference
was the interrelation between nation and religion in New Europe.
His Holiness Aram I delivered the first lecture of the conference. The
president of the conference, who presented His Holiness, highlighted Aram I’
s role in the international arena and in ecumenical and inter-church
relations. He expressed his satisfaction that the Catholicos had agreed to
speak at the opening session of the conference.
During his lecture, His Holiness Aram I considered interrelation between
religion and nation as essential in today’s globalized world. He regarded
this interrelation as a source for development and progress, as well one for
new concerns and complexities.
Speaking specifically about nation-church interrelations in Europe, His
Holiness concentrated on the following three main points:
1. It is essential to grant a new definition to the concept of nation and
adopt a new approach towards it: A nation is the unity of ethnic, cultural
and religious identities. Is it possible to use the same definition in today
‘s multi-religious, multicultural and multiethnic society, where different
identities are engaged in constant dialogue and hence affect each other
mutually?
The concept of nation also necessitates a concrete geographic area.
Globalization, however, has altered this reality as well. All nations today
have started losing their local and geographic characteristics and cultural
identity and have become subject to the forces of globalization. In these
conditions, it is essential to adopt new sociological, theological and
political approaches towards the concept of nation.
2. It’s essential for the church to engage itself in a discussion about its
own ecclesiological and missionary understandings: The church is not a
fixed, frozen entity; rather, it’s a structure that constantly fulfills
itself. The church should keep pace with the changing conditions of the
world. The Orthodox Church, especially, should cross structural boundaries.
It should not merely be an institutional reality; it should become an
existential presence in people’s lives. In other words, the concept of
“national church” should be replaced with the concept of “people’s church”.
Through this approach, the mission of the church should be directed towards
the people.
His Holiness spoke about the historical experience of the Armenian Church in
this context.
3. The church should have a new approach towards nation-church
interrelations in new Europe: The church, especially in Orthodox countries,
has, for centuries, been the warden of national unity and the source for
national identity. What kind of a church do we want to have today: A
national church or a nationalist one?
The church is a local reality and should, therefore, have some sort of
national identity. At the same time, however, the church is a universal
reality. Where are the limits and the limitations between the local and the
global in this interaction? The church has no right to identify itself with
political and ideological structures. Simultaneously, the church has the
responsibility to fight for justice, human rights and other issues of
concern to the society.
His Holiness emphasized the following points in his concluding remarks:
1.. It’s essential to clearly differentiate between the church-nation and
church-state relations.
2.. It’s important to highlight the church’s mission towards the people,
reduce the church’s activities towards issues that might have political
consequences and give weight to church’s service to the people.
3.. Taking into consideration the multi-religious character of the
European society, the Orthodox churches in Europe should give special
importance to inter-religious relations.
4.. Moral and spiritual values are essential in Europe, which today are in
decade. The church has an important role to play in this respect.
5.. Christianity and specially orthodoxy are an integral part of European
civilization and culture. It’s essential to emphasize the Christian roots of
Europe, which today is in the process of the formation of a new identity.
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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.