Diocesan Vicar Fr. Simeon Odabashian represented the Eastern Diocese and Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan at the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which convened in Louisville, KY, June 24-26.
As the highest governing body of the Episcopal Church, the General Convention meets every three years as a bicameral legislature, made up of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, involving representatives from over 100 dioceses. In total, around 1,000 clergy and laymen participated in an official capacity.
Fr. Odabashian attended the meeting as an ecumenical observer, joining representatives from a number of Protestant and Orthodox traditions, as well as from inter-denominational organizations like the National Council of Churches, Religions for Peace, and Christian Churches Together. The ecumenical delegation held a luncheon gathering with representatives from the world-wide Anglican Communion, hailing from Canterbury Cathedral to as far away as New Zealand and Africa.
One resolution that passed in both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies held a particular significance for the Armenian Church. Under the title “Support and Solidarity with Armenia,” the resolution affirmed the centuries-long relationship between the Episcopal and Armenian churches, while expressing solidarity with the people of Armenia and Karabagh.
Further, the resolution formally condemned the efforts of Azerbaijan and others to “eliminate the ancient, indigenous Armenian identity and presence from the region,” and authorizes Episcopal Church organizations to “advocate for and promote U.S. government policies and legislation to further this position.”
Click the following link to read the resolution in full.
Another proposal of Armenian interest, allowing Episcopal congregations to use the Armenian Holy Cross ritual in their liturgies, was referred for further study.
The 81st General Convention also marked a change in leadership for the Episcopal Church, as the nine-year tenure of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry came to a close. Bishop Sean Rowe of Pennsylvania was elected by his peers as the 28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and subsequently confirmed by the House of Deputies. Bishop Rowe will assume his new role in November.