On June 3, His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, led a blessing ceremony for Armenia’s doctors and healthcare workers gathered at the ancient St. Gayane Monastery.
He conferred the blessing with the rarely-seen Relic of St. Luke. Luke the Evangelist was himself a physician, and is considered the patron of doctors.
Click the link to view a video of the ceremony and listen to His Holiness’ message.
The blessing of Armenia’s physicians comes at a time when our homeland is facing a critical moment in the ongoing pandemic crisis. It has affected all ranks of Armenian society, from Prime Minister Pashinyan—who recently announced that he and his entire family have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus—to a four-year-old child diagnosed with the country’s first reported case of Kawasaki disease.
On May 29, the government announced that Armenia had overtaken Iran and France in terms of the number of cases per one million people, and was approaching the Italian scenario. The result is a growing strain on Armenia’s healthcare system, with officials warning that intensive care units at Armenian hospitals treating COVID-19 patients may run out of vacant hospital beds.
In response to the crisis, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, at Catholicos Karekin II’s direction, has expended the equivalent of $600,000 USD in support of the medical system throughout the country. Holy Etchmiadzin has been critically active in the social realm, too, deploying its resources and the ranks of the clergy to help bring food and necessities to our people. (Click here to watch a video).
His Holiness has asked the Armenian Church dioceses of the world to contribute to the effort. The Eastern Diocese’s Fund for Armenian Relief has been doing incredible outreach work throughout the pandemic crisis. In addition, Bishop Daniel has assured the Catholicos of the Diocese’s support, and has planned a fundraising initiative for later this month.
Look for details of the drive in the days to come. We ask our faithful to do whatever they can to help advance this important effort for our homeland.