This week, His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, welcomed the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East to the Mother See of the Holy Etchmiadzin.
Assyrian Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Awa III was visiting Armenia with a delegation of clergymen on a pastoral visit, to consecrate a new church for Armenia’s Assyrian Christian community, as well as to deepen fraternal relations with the Armenian Church. This was Mar Awa III’s first visit to Armenia after having assumed the patriarchal throne in September of 2021. Interestingly, he is the first Western-born patriarch of his church, born David Royel in Chicago, U.S.A., in 1975.
In welcoming remarks during the October 11 gathering, Catholicos Karekin II extolled the age-old, friendly relations between the Armenian and Assyrian peoples, and recalled the warm reception he receives whenever he visits Armenia’s Assyrian communities. He praised these communities for preserving their ancestral language and culture, and offered a prayerful acknowledgement of the Assyrian faithful who helped defend Armenia in the 44-day Artsakh war—a number of whom fell as martyrs to that cause.
Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Awa expressed his own gratitude and his wish to see the Lord bestow the blessing of peace and justice on the Armenian homeland.
Meeting Patriarch Theodoros II
During the same week, in the Eastern Diocese, Armenian clergymen paid their respects to the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, His Beatitude Theodoros II, who was on an official visit to America.
Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director Archbishop Vicken Aykazian took part in an ecumenical prayer service and luncheon in honor of Patriarch Theodoros II in Washington, DC, on October 11. Several days earlier, in New York, Diocesan Vicar Fr. Simeon Odabashian represented the Eastern Diocese and Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan during an ecumenical gathering at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, hosted by Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elpidophorus.
Patriarch Theodoros’ visit marked the first time any patriarch of his holy see has come to America. From its seat in Alexandria, Egypt, the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate has responsibility for the entire African continent. It is distinct from the Coptic Church, which is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches in communion with the Armenian Church, and is most closely associated with Christianity in Egypt.