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 Patriarch of Jerusalem Reposes

Patriarch Torkom II (Manoogian) of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Jerusalem has fallen asleep in the Lord at the age of ninety-three. Born in Iraq and educated in Baghdad and Jerusalem, Patriarch Torkom spent a total of thirty-seven years in the service of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, twenty-two of them as its first hierarch. Patriarch Torkom also spent twenty-four years as Bishop (and later Archbishop) of Eastern American Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin, during which time he supervised the construction the magnificent Cathedral of St. Vartan in New York City. More on his life can be found here. May Patriarch Torkom's memory be eternal!

In Memoriam: Archbishop Aghan of Sydney

Archbishop Aghan (Baliozian) of Sydney, ruling hierarch of the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, has fallen asleep in the Lord at the age of sixty-six. Born Yeghia in 1946 to Armenian parents in Aleppo, Syria, the future archbishop was educated in his native city and at the seminary of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, where he became a member of the Patriarchate's Brotherhood of St. James.

In 1968 Yeghia was ordained a monastic priest with the name of Aghan by Patriarch Yegishe (Derderian) of Jerusalem. Fr. Aghan spent the next 6 years serving the Gevorkian Theological Seminary in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, returning to Jerusalem briefly before entering the Yerevan State University in Armenia. In 1974 Fr. Aghan again returned to Jerusalem to serve as dean of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate's Jarangavorats Theological Seminary.

In 1975 Fr. Aghan moved to Australia with the blessing of Catholicos Vasken (Baljian) of Echmiadzin to serve as vicar general of the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, and in early 1982 was consecrated to the episcopacy and enthroned as the new ruling Bishop of Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand. After eleven years of service in the Diocese Bishop Aghan was elevated to the rank of archbishop.

In addition to serving the Armenian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand Archbishop Aghan also oversaw the Armenian Orthodox parishes in India and the Far East, served in the central administration of the Catholicate of Echmiadzin, and represented the Armenian Orthodox Church in Australian and international ecumenical organizations.

Archbishop Aghan died on 22 September 2012 in Sydney of heart failure. May his memory be eternal! More on his life can be found 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.

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.

Armenia Considers Tax Breaks for Armenian Orthodox Church

The Armenian Parliament is considering legislation that would grant significant tax breaks to the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin by exempting it from Armenia's property and land taxes. More here. Hat tip to The Orthodox Church website for posting this first!

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.

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.

Russian, Armenian Orthodox Academic Institutions Sign Agreement

The St. Petersburg Theological Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Echmiadzin have signed an agreement to foster the development of joint efforts in the educational and publishing spheres. 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 Orthodox Church Concerned by Potential Return of Churches to Armenians

Despite calls from the Georgian Orthodox Church for calm, Georgia's large Armenian minority remains tense in the aftermath of this past weekend's large demonstrations against a law allowing the registration of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia and four other minority religious organizations. While the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Georgia refused to comment on recent events, other representatives of Georgia's Armenian community who were interviewed said that most of the hysteria over the new law was whipped up by the hierarchy and clergy of the Georgian Orthodox Church, noting that of the six historic Armenian Orthodox churches in Tbilisi only two were still in use, whilst two others lay in ruins and two more had been appropriated by the Georgian Orthodox Church, which may now under the terms of the new law have to return them to the Church of Armenia. (In total there are more than 300 Armenian Orthodox churches in Georgia, of which only 40 are currently used by the Armenian Orthodox Church.) 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.

Georgian Opposition Joins Patriarchate in Calling for Repeal of Legislation on Religious Minorities

Georgian opposition parties are backing calls by the Georgian Orthodox Church to annul recent legislation granting legal status to five minority religious organizations present in Georgia, among them the Armenian Orthodox Church. Some opposition leaders have claimed the legislation, intended to protect the rights of Georgian citizens, inflame ethnic tensions, whilst others have begun calling for legislation that would grant the Georgian Orthodox Church official status as the country's state church. More here and here.

Georgian Parliament Passes Law Allowing Registration of Armenian Orthodox Diocese

The Georgian Parliament has finally passed a law to allow for the registration of Georgia's largest minority religious organizations, first among them the Armenian Orthodox Church's diocese in Georgia. Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Gudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church opposed the new law, saying that national debates should be held to establish whether a majority of Georgians supported the measure. Georgian ultranationalists also opposed the law, saying that neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan should be required to register the Georgian Orthodox Church in their countries first despite the miniscule size of their Georgian communities. More here and 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.

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.