The Supreme Spiritual Council, convened at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, having reflected upon the fabricated trials conducted in Azerbaijan against the political leadership, military personnel, and civilian individuals of Artsakh, hereby issues the following statement:
This week, the Armenian Church’s Supreme Spiritual Council has been meeting at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, presided over the gathering of bishops and lay members.
From February 28 to March 3, Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan was in Naples, FL. visiting the Diocese’s Southwest Florida mission parish. He celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the afternoon of Sunday, March 2, at a local Episcopal Church, with some 130 people participating. An equally large crowd attended the banquet that followed church services, where guests had a chance to meet and talk with the Primate, and hear his encouraging words for the future.
“Visiting this unique mission parish is like experiencing a cross-section of our Diocese, with faithful from many different parishes joining the year-round residents to create a truly vibrant and enthusiastic community,” Bishop Mesrop said.
Bishop Mesrop’s visit to Naples was also an opportunity for him to make pastoral visitations to elderly faithful, offer his blessings, and spend time with local families.
It began with the generation that survived the Armenian Genocide and found refuge in America. They built our Cathedral out of gratitude to our Lord Jesus Christ, for the blessings He gave them. In the early 1950s, faithful of all ages gave their support to the project—often collecting nickels and dimes in a “Cathedral Fundraising Box” that could be seen in every Armenian home.
Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump asking for his administration’s support in freeing the Armenian detainees and prisoners of the Artsakh war currently held in illegal captivity by Azerbaijan. Read the text of his letter here.
