Armenian Catholics - VIS news - Holy See Press Office

NB The Armenian Catholic Church sui iuris is headed not by a prelate in Armenia itself but by patriarch corresponding to the Armenian Apostolic Catholicos based in Lebanon, of the Holy House of Cilicia. It is important to bear in mind that the Armenian people, like the Georgians historically, are spread across the Middle East and cannot be confined to one ethnic territory alone. Rootedness in Asia Minor, the Holy Land and in Syria-Lebanon is ancient. Note too that the while the Armenian Apostolic Church (part of the communion of non-Chalcedonian Oriental Orthodox Churches) has a patriarch in Turkey in Constantinople (Istanbul), the Catholic Churches (whether Latin, Greek-Catholic or Armenian) do not maintain a claim to a patriarchal see, out of respect to the sole holder of the dignity of patriarch of the ancient Christian imperial capital, namely the head of the Byzantine Orthodox Church there, the Ecumenical Patriarch.




Vatican City, 21 May 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

- acknowledged that the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Lebanon, with the consent of the permanent Synod, has accepted the resignation from the office of coadjutor archbishop of the archieparchy of Istanbul of the Armenians, Turkey, presented by Archbishop George Khazzoum in accordance with canon 210 para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

- appointed Archpriest Levon Boghos Zekiyan, emeritus lecturer at the Universita Ca' Foscari, Venice, as apostolic administrator “sede plena” of the archieparchy of Istanbul of the Armenians (Catholics 3,339, priests 6, religious 6), Turkey, elevating him to the dignity of Archbishop. The bishop-elect was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1943, gave his solemn vows in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1967. He has assumed the pastoral care of the Armenian diaspora and the fraternity of Sts. Nicola and Sergio in the Patriarchate of Venice and has served as ordinary professor of Armenian language at the Universita Ca' Foscari, Venice, and as a lecturer at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome. He has also served as Academic of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia and consultor for the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

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