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:
THE REPRESENTATIVE OF HIS HOLINESS ARAM I DELIVERS THE CATHOLICOSATE’S WORD
IN THE VATICAN
The 12 representatives of the Oriental Orthodox, Orthodox, Anglican and
Protestant Churches delivered their remarks at the XIth Synod of Bishops of
the Catholic Church on October 11.
Bishop Nareg Alemezian, Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate of Cilicia
presented the compliments of His Holiness Aram I to Pope Benedictus XVI and
the participants in the meeting.
Bishop Alemezian focused on two main concepts during his speech. He first
explained that Holy Mass has come to represent the continuous and collective
martyrdom of the Armenian nation, which in its turn has become a
“battlefield” for defending the nation’s Christian faith and homeland. This
has rendered Christianity the “skin color” of Armenians.
Second, the Bishop emphasized that in order to transform Holy Mass into the
crown of the church’s unity, all Christians should pay attention to its
ecclesiastical uniqueness in their ecumenical relations. Communion
transforms us into the symbolic body of Christ, said the Bishop.
“My Church, which has been established by St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew,
two of Christ’s disciples, became the collective victim of the first
Genocide of the 20th century. As a consequence to this crime, the
Catholicosate of Cilicia was stationed in the biblical country of cedars,
where it enjoyed the hospitality of Middle Eastern peoples; today it
provides its multi-faceted services from Antelias to the Armenians spread
all over the world,” said the Bishop, assuring that ecumenical and
inter-religious relations constitute a large part of the Catholicosate’s
services.
Continuing his meetings with ecumenical officers, Bishop Alemezian discussed
ecumenical issues related to the family of Oriental Orthodox Churches with
representatives from these sister churches.
Bishop Barnabas (Coptic Church), Bishop Samuel (Ethiopian Church) and Bishop
Severios Mourad (Syrian Church) participate in the conference alongside
Bishop Alemezian and the representative of St. Etchmiadzine.
Bishop Alemezian also met with the representative of the Russian Orthodox
Church, Fr. Igor Vizanov, discussing with him the details of the meeting to
be held between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox
Churches of the Middle East in Antelias on December 12-16.
Cardinal Francis Arinze, Head of the Vatican’s Rituals’ Department
remembered his visit to Antelias four years ago as Head of the Vatican’s
Ecumenical Officer.
Bishop Michel Nazir-Ali of the Church of England (form Rochester) informed
Bishop Alemezian about the social and administrative complexities the family
of Anglican Churches faces currently. He encouraged the idea of following
the traditional Christian path of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
majority of Anglican Bishops.
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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.