New Armenian Orthodox Bishop Appointed for Australia, New Zealand

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin has appointed Bishop Haykazun (Najarian), who till now had served as patriarchal legate in Central Europe and Sweden, as Bishop of Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand. More in Armenian here.

Echmiadzin Catholicos Visits the Eastern USA

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin has begun a pastoral visit to the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of New York and Eastern America. More here.

Armenian Orthodox Echmiadzin Catholicos Visiting Italy, Romania

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has begun a pastoral visit to the Armenian Orthodox Church in Italy and Romania. More here.

Armenian Orthodox Catholicos Visits France

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has undertaken a pastoral visit to the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Marseille in southern France. While in France Catholicos Karekin celebrated the 80th anniversary of Holy Translators' Church in Marseille and met with the hierarchs, clergy, and representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Church in France as well as with Bishop Anba Athanasius of the Coptic Orthodox Church in France. More here.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Visits Armenia

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow has completed his second visit to Armenia as head of the Russian Orthodox Church. During his time in Armenia Patriarch Kirill met with Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of the Armenian Orthodox Church and Armenian President Serzh Sargsian. He also participated in meetings with other Transcaucasian religious leaders and in a session of the Interreligious Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States. More here and here.

Catholicos Karekin Visits Moscow, Blesses New Cathedral

This past Sunday Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin visited Moscow to bless the crosses of the large Armenian Orthodox cathedral under construction there. Bishop Ezras (Nersisyan) of Novo-Nakhichevan participated in the service with Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church also in attendance together with Armenian President Serzh Sargsian and other representatives of the Armenian government and the Armenian Diaspora in Russia. More here.

Catholicos Karekin Receives Rector of Moscow Theological Academy

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of the Armenian Orthodox Church has received Archbishop Yevgeniy (Reshetnikov) of Verey, auxiliary of the Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Moscow and rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, at Holy Echmiadzin. The two met to discuss ways in which the Moscow Theological Academy and the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at Holy Echmiadzin could cooperate in the education and training of the future clergy of the Russian and Armenian Orthodox Churches. More here.

Armenia, Artsakh Diocesan Hierarchs Meet at Holy Echmiadzin

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has presided over a meeting of the diocesan hierarchs of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin in Armenia and Artsakh at Holy Echmiadzin. During the meeting the assembled hierarchs discussed the challenges facing the Armenian Orthodox Church in its heartlands, particularly the need for greater focus on the relationship between the Church's clergy and clerical families and its parishes. Concerns were also raised over the activities of various sects in Armenia and Artsakh. More here.

Echmiadzin Catholicos Visits Artsakh

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has made a pastoral visit to the Republic of Artsakh, formerly the autonomous Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the republic's proclamation of independence. More here.

Georgian Legislation Discussed by Saakashvili, Catholicos Karekin During June Visit

The Armenian Orthodox Church has welcomed the legislation of the Georgian government to allow the registration of Georgia's minority religious organizations, which was recently signed into law by President Mikheil Saakashvili. The groundwork for the legislation was apparently laid during the visit last month of Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin with the Georgian president. More here.

Catholicos Karekin Visits St. Petersburg

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has begun his visit to St. Petersburg, being welcomed to the city by Bishop Yezras (Nersissian) of Novo-Nakhichevan, who serves the Armenian Orthodox Church in Russia. Catholicos Karekin began his time in St. Petersburg with a visit to the city's Armenian Orthodox Church of St. Catherine before moving on to participate in the launch of a book on Russian-Armenian relations. More on Catholicos Karekin's ongoing visit to St. Petersburg can be found here.

Catholicos Karekin Leaves for St. Petersburg, Riga

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has departed for Russia and Latvia to begin a pastoral visit to the Armenian Diaspora in St. Petersburg and Riga. In St. Petersburg Catholicos Karekin will be participating in the 300th anniversary celebrations of the Armenian community there, whilst in Riga he will consecrate a new Armenian Orthodox church built for the Latvian capital. More here.

Armenian Orthodox Church Comments on Catholicos Karekin's Visit to Georgia

Commenting on the recent visit of Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin to Georgia Bishop Arshak (Khachatrian), chancellor of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin, said that throughout Catholicos Karekin's time in Georgia he faced obstacles put in place by both the Georgian government and the Georgian Orthodox Church. Bishop Arshak also noted that the communique released by the Georgian Orthodox Church on the meeting of Catholicos Karekin and Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi did not represent both Churches despite the Georgian Orthodox Church's claim to the contrary.

Despite Patriarch Ilia's comments yesterday on Catholicos Karekin and the latter's visit, during today's press conference Bishop Arshak expressed his hope that relations between the Churches of Armenia and Georgia would continue to develop. More here and here.

Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Says Armenian Orthodox Counterpart "In A Hurry"

Commenting on his failure to release a joint statement with Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin during the latter's visit to Georgia, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) said that his Armenian Orthodox counterpart was "in a hurry" and "young and should gain more experience."

The two patriarchs failed to release a joint statement on their work towards resolving long-standing issues between the Armenian and Georgian Orthodox Churches because of Patriarch Ilia's insistence that Armenia transfer churches in northern Armenia to the tiny Georgian minority in Armenia in exchange for the return of historically Armenian Orthodox churches belonging to Georgia's large Armenian minority that are currently used by the Church of Georgia. More here.

Catholicos Karekin Meets with Parents of Jailed Armenian Activist in Georgia

During a visit to the Armenian community in southeastern Georgia, Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II of Echmiadzin has met with the parents of jailed Armenian activist Vahan Chakhalyan. The release of Chakhalyan was brought up during Catholicos Karekin's recent meeting in Tbilisi with Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church. More here.

Armenian, Georgian Orthodox Catholicoses Agree to Committees to Resolve Issues

The Armenian and Georgian Orthodox Churches have agreed to establish committees to work towards the resolution of the standing issues between the two churches and the Armenian and Georgian nations, among them the return of appropriated Armenian Orthodox churches in Georgia and of appropriated Georgian Orthodox churches in Armenia. The decision to establish the committees was made during a meeting between Catholicos-Patriarchs Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin and Ilia II (Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. More here.

Catholicos Karekin Visits Georgia

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has begun a visit to Georgia at the invitation of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. The visit is apparently the first to what today is Georgia undertaken by a first hierarch of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin since the late 1800s. During his stay in the country Catholicos Karekin will meet with Patriarch Ilia, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and the clergy and faithful of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia. More here.

Catholicos Karekin Visits Chile

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has concluded his pastoral visit to Chile. Accompanied by Archbishop Kissag of Buenos Aires, Catholicos Karekin met with Chilean officials and representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in Chile and discussed the assignment of a pastor to the Armenian Orthodox parish being organized in Santiago. More here.

Pictured are the visiting clergy serving in a Roman Catholic church loaned to their use during Catholicos Karekin's stay in Chile.

Catholicos Karekin Visits Uruguay, Argentina

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has completed his pastoral visits to the Armenian Orthodox Dioceses of Montevideo in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina. During his stays in both countries Catholicos Karekin celebrated the services, spoke with government officials, and met with representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in South America. More here (on the visit to Uruguay) and here (on the visit to Argentina).

Pictured are the faithful of St. Gregory the Illuminator's Church in Buenos Aires during a service celebrated by Catholicos Karekin.

Echmiadzin Catholicos Visits Brazil

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has begun his travels in South America with a visit to the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Sao Paulo and Brazil. During his time in Brazil, Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin met with Archbishop Datev (Gharibian) of Sao Paulo as well as other representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in the country and Brazilian officials. More here.