Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, now in Lebanon on a working visit, today attended a Divine Liturgy on 50th anniversary of the ordination of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.

Below, is an unedited Armenian government press release on the occasion.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s working visit to Lebanon continues. On the second day of the visit, on October 21, Nikol Pashinyan and his spouse Anna Hakobyan visited the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Antelias, where they attended the Divine Liturgy dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the ordination of Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, His Holiness Aram the First. Representatives of the Lebanese President, Government and Parliament, as well as representatives of the Armenian community were in attendance.

His Holiness Aram I noted in his speech: “In recent months a new chapter of love and solidarity has opened in our people’s life, especially in Armenia, and I am convinced that this page of love and solidarity should become a page of national unity, a sacred mission Armenia’s rehabilitation with the full commitment and participation of all the sons of our people. Mr. Acting Prime Minister, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia will continue in its devotion and faith to strengthen Armenia and Artsakh.”

After the Divine Liturgy, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered congratulatory remarks:

“Your Holiness,
Honorable Clergymen, Ministers, Members of Parliament,
Dear Guests,

I am very much touched by your kind invitation, this long-awaited meeting and this wonderful Armenian atmosphere in the fraternal Lebanese land. I am excited that ex-officio and also, as an Armenian, who used to hear since early childhood about the role played by the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Armenia’s history, I have the honor to congratulate you on the 50th anniversary of your ordination.

Indeed, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia is the spiritual center of a large part of Apostolic Armenians in the Diaspora, a unique forge for the preservation and enrichment of church and religious traditions. Antilias is in the hearts of thousands of Armenians.

We are grateful that our national identity, our cultural values and programs have been conserved for many years in these walls. Invaluable is the role of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in the formation and organization of the Armenian Diaspora in the wake of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. It is not by chance that in the most difficult period for our people, Lebanon became a beacon of salvation for tens of thousands of Armenians who survived the Genocide.

Today, interstate relations between Armenia and Lebanon are at a high level. In this regard, the role of the Armenian community in this fraternal land is great, which, under the leadership of the Catholicosate, puts its abilities, knowledge and creative potential to serve the prosperity of their second homeland - Lebanon. Thank you for creating such a story.

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