His Holiness Aram I

Catholicos Of Armenian Church, Holy See Of Cilicia

Education

Born in 1947, in Beirut, Lebanon His Holiness Catholicos Aram I studied at the Armenian Theological Seminary, Antelias, Lebanon and the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Geneva, Switzerland, the Near East School of Theology, the American University of Beirut and Near East School of Theology, Oxford University, and Fordham University in New York. He holds BA, M.Div., S.T.M., and PhD. He also holds several honorary degrees. His major areas of specialization are philosophy, systematic theology, Near Eastern church history, and ecumenism.

Church Ministry

Catholicos Aram I was ordained as a celibate priest in 1968 and obtained the title of Vartabed (Doctor of the Armenian Church) in 1970. In 1978, he was elected Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Community in Lebanon, and received episcopal ordination in 1980. In 1985 he became Archbishop and in June 1995, he was elected Catholicos (the Head of the Church) by the Electoral Assembly of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia (35 clergy and 115 lay representatives).

Called to serve as Primate of the Armenian Community of Lebanon (1978-1995) during the Lebanese Civil War, His Holiness reorganized parishes and schools, restructured and reactivated church-related institutions, and renewed community leadership.

As Head of Church, he:

• reorganized and revitalized the work of the Church, particularly in the areas of spiritual renewal, theological and ministerial formation, Christian education, publications, communications, cultural activities, youth, Armenological studies, justice and peace and human rights.

• realized several construction projects in the Catholicosate (Holy See of Cilicia), such as: the ‘Cilicia’ Museum, the Armenian Genocide Orphans’ ‘Aram Bezikian’ Museum, Center of Archives and Manuscripts, buildings for bishops and monks, a guesthouse and offices, a center for youth and university students, and in the monastery of St. Mary: renovation of the Seminary building, construction of new apartments for clergy, construction of Catholicosal residence, guest house and open-air alter for special celebrations, etc.

• paid pontifical visits to the dioceses in the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America, and brought a new dynamism to the relationship between the world-wide dioceses and the administrative center of the Church, the Catholicosate, in Lebanon;

• emphasized the Church’s outreach through social service: orphanage, old peoples’ home, blind peoples’ home, and school for the disabled, and building apartments for low-income families.

• strengthened ecumenical relations and collaboration, by establishing a special department for this work, developing close personal relations with world church leaders, organizing important ecumenical meetings and events, and chairing and lecturing at international conferences and events in different regions;

• in the context of international relations, he met with a number of heads of states, political and religious leaders, and representatives of international organizations.

Academic and Intellectual Achievements

For many years His Holiness Catholicos Aram I has regularly lectured on armenological, theological, and ecumenical subjects at the Armenian Seminary and Haigazian University in Beirut. He has also given numerous public lectures in various universities, academic and cultural centers, and at public events and international gatherings.

Ecumenical engagement

His Holiness was appointed in 1972 as the representative of the Holy See of Cilicia for ecumenical relations and he served in this position until 1995. His Holiness has played a major role in the world-wide ecumenical movement:

– He was a founding member of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in 1974. From the beginning he has served on the Council’s Executive Committee and played a leading part in the major initiatives of the Council. For two successive periods (2006-2010 and 2010-2016) he became the President of MECC, and then he was elected a honorary president.

– As delegate of his church, he attended the Nairobi (1975), Vancouver (1983), Canberra (1991), Harare (1998) and Porto Alegre (2006) Assemblies of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and several international conferences.

– In 1975, he was elected as a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the WCC and in 1983 a member of its Standing Committee; in 1983 a member of the Central Committee of the WCC.

– At the Canberra Assembly (1991), he was elected Moderator of the Central and Executive Committees of the WCC, the highest position of this global fellowship of churches, which comprises more than 350 churches from different confessions, cultures, nations and regions. He is the first Orthodox and the youngest person to be elected to the position of Moderator. After serving as Moderator for seven years, His Holiness was unanimously re-elected at the Harare Assembly (1998). The re-election of His Holiness, which was based on his “strong leadership, firm commitment, theological knowledge and administrative experience”, was unprecedented in the history of the WCC.

– Catholicos Aram I is a founding member of the Oriental Orthodox-Eastern Orthodox Theological Dialogue, Oriental Orthodox-Reformed Theological Dialogue, and the Orthodox-Evangelical Dialogue. He has played an important role in initiation of Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic and Oriental Orthodox-Lutheran Theological Dialogues. His Holiness is an honorary member of Pro Oriente.

– His Holiness was instrumental in creating, in 1996, the fellowship of the Three Heads (Coptic, Syrian, Armenian) of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East.

In addition of membership in several ecumenical councils and committees, since 1969 His Holiness has participated in several ecumenical meetings, consultations, seminars and conferences on regional and international levels.

Inter-Religious Dialogue

As a strong supporter of inter-religious relations, dialogue and co-operation, His Holiness Aram I has played a significant part in promoting common values, mutual understanding, and peaceful co-existence among religions. In this context he:

• worked hard as Primate to create tolerance and build mutual confidence between Christian and Muslim communities during the most critical times of Lebanese Civil War.

• made frequent reference in his writings and public interventions to the vital importance of dialogue and collaboration among the living faiths of the world.

• initiated a number of inter-religious dialogues and took active part in important inter-religious meetings on regional and international levels.

• played an instrumental role in re-organizing the Christian-Muslim Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches, and in preparing the International Inter-religious Conference organized by the World Council of Churches (June 2005).

• organized in Antelias high-level meetings of the representatives of religions of Asia and the Middle East (January 2007) and theological dialogues with the dialogue of religions and cultures centers of Islamic Republic of Iran.

• gave lectures at inter-religious meetings, universities, and public events in different parts of the world.

• His Holiness is an honorary President of the World Religions Museum Foundation, and World Religions for Peace international organization.

A strong defender of the Armenian Cause

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide and reparation, known as the Armenian Cause has been integral to the ministry of His Holiness since his early age. Considering the Armenian Cause as a cause of justice and violation of fundamental human rights, His Holiness has made it a vital dimension of his spiritual, intellectual and ecumenical work.

Filing a case against Turkey, demanding the return of the historical seat of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Sis (Kozan), Turkey, is undoubtedly his signature achievement. For the first time after hundred years of the Armenian Genocide, a legal action was taken in the context of reparation with the filing of the case before the constitutional court of Turkey, and then before the European Court of Human Rights.

In 2012, he organized an international conference with the theme “The Armenian Genocide: from Recognition to Reparation”, which was attended by renown jurists and scholars.

On the occasion of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, His Holiness gave a number of public lectures. His interventions on the commemoration ceremonies in the Vatican and Washington echoed widely.

Commitment to peace with Justice

As a result of his strong commitment to peace with justice, and human rights, His Holiness:

• became a strong voice for mutual understanding among religions, cultures and civilizations.

• organized regional and international seminars and conferences at the Catholicosate, in Antelias.

• gave public lectures to university students, visiting academic, religious and NGO groups.

With his vision and commitment and with his hard work, His Holiness Aram I has made the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Church “a living center of reflection, dialogue and action”.

The CV of His Holiness appears in Who’s Who in the World, in the International Directory of Distinguished Leaders and in many other regional and international directories, dictionaries and publications.