On November 5, His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, paid a visit to Jermuk, on Armenia’s eastern border: one of the sites of the hostile Azeri incursion last September.
There, the Catholicos met with soldiers defending the border, visited military and civilian wounded in a local hospital, and prayed with worshippers assembled for badarak (pictured above). He placed special blessings on the local children.
Click here to view photos of Catholicos Karekin II’s heartwarming sojourn among the people of Jermuk.
Meeting at Etchmiadzin
Earlier that week, His Holiness Karekin II presided over the latest gathering of the Supreme Spiritual Council, which convened November 1-4.
The meeting at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin brought together bishops and archbishops from Armenia and diaspora jurisdictions, including Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Sahak Mashalian, and Pontifical Legate of Western Europe Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, who co-chaired the sessions.
The council discussed administrative, canonical, and national issues concerning the worldwide Armenian Church, with special emphasis on the aftermath of the Artsakh war and pandemic, and the church-sponsored efforts to alleviate distress and suffering related to these.
Council members noted with satisfaction that the restoration of the Mother Cathedral is nearing its final stage, with ceremonies for its reopening slated for 2023.
The Supreme Spiritual Council also issued a statement on the post-war situation in Armenia and Artsakh. The council condemned ongoing Azeri aggression, and addressed matters of territorial integrity and sovereignty, the justice of Artsakh’s right to self-determination, the mission of the Armenian Church in the present situation, and the peaceful settlement of the Karabagh conflict.
Click the following links to read more about the meeting in Armenian, view photos, and watch a video.