About the Visit of 

His Beatitude Raphael Bedros XXI

His Beatitude was born on November 24, 1946, in Beirut, Lebanon. He received degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Gregorian Institute. From there, he attended the Salesian University in Rome where he received an advanced degree in practical psychology. The Patriarch was ordained a celibate priest in Beirut, Lebanon on June 24, 1973. During the forty years of his priesthood, His Beatitude has served as a pastor, educator, and humanitarian. 

Between 1989 and 2004, His Beatitude served as parish priest in the United States serving the Armenian Catholic community. Between 2005 and 2011, His Beatitude served as the Eparch (Patriarchal Vicar General) for the Eparchy (Diocese) of Jerusalem and Amman. By a papal bull of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, His Beatitude was named Titular Archbishop of Caesarea and Cappadocia and the Ordinary for Armenian Catholics in Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe on June 24, 2011. On July 16, 2011, His Beatitude was ordained a bishop by His Beatitude Nerses-Bedros XIX, Armenian Catholic Patriarch, in the presence of His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, President of the Congregation for Oriental (Eastern) Churches. Additionally, His Beatitude has served as the president of Caritas in Armenia since 2011. His Beatitude was enthroned as Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church on October 24, 2021. As Patriarch, His Beatitude is responsible for the spiritual welfare of Armenian Catholics throughout the world.

Approximately 90,000 refugees who fled to Armenia from the war-torn region of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in 2020 continue struggle with housing, employment, and other basic needs. Since 2011, His Beatitude has served as the president of Caritas Armenia, a Catholic humanitarian organization which is a part of Caritas International. In his capacity as president, His Beatitude has worked to build up the organization’s capacity help disadvantaged groups in Armenia. According to their 2020-21 annual report, Caritas Armenia provided rapid response humanitarian aid to 4,276 households, 18,956 individuals, and 7,564 children. There are more than 160,000 Armenian Catholics in Armenia.

Since 2019, Lebanon has endured a severe economic crisis. Inflation is in triple digits and the nation’s GDP has plummeted from $55 billion dollars to $25 billion dollars according to the World Bank in Lebanon. In April, 2022, Lebanon reported an inflation rate of 206.24%. As of January, 2022, Lebanon’s unemployment rate is 29.6%, with approximately one third of the country’s residents unemployed. This is an 11.6% increase since 2018-19. The poverty rate has doubled from 42% in 2019 to 82% in 2021. Approximately 100,000 to 150,000 Armenian Catholics reside in Lebanon.

Armenian Catholics have been living in the United States as early as the late 1800s. In 1896, His Beatitude Stepan Bedros X assigned Msgr. Mardiros Megerian to serve Armenian Catholics living in the New York area. During his tenure as patriarchal vicar of the United States, he was instrumental in helping survivors of the Armenian Genocide settle in America. In subsequent decades, Armenian Catholic parishes were established throughout the United States and Canada. Through the papal bull Divine Pastoris, His Holiness Pope St. John Paul II established an Apostolic Exarchate for Armenian Catholics in the United States and Canada. His Holiness appointed Msgr. Nersess Setian, rector of the Armenian Pontifical College in Rome, as the first bishop of the Exarchate. The headquarters of the Exarchate were established in New York City, New York. Upon the request of the Synod of Armenian Catholic Bishops, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI raised the Exarchate to the level of an eparchy on September 12, 2005. Bishop Manuel Batakian, then vicar general for the Exarchate, became the first eparch (bishop) of the new eparchy. On May 21, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed the Very Reverend Father Mikael Mouradian to serve as the bishop for the Eparchy.

Currently, the see of the Eparchy is St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Cathedral in Glendale, California. The Eparchy serves 60,000 Armenian Catholics across eight parishes and three missions in the United States and Canada. Additionally, the Eparchy administers six schools, five in the United States and one in Canada. Though the Eparchy is a constituent part of the Armenian Catholic Church, under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, the Eparchy is under the immediate jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff. The Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in the United States and Canada is a constitutive part of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate.
 

A Church sui juris (autonomous) is a group of Christian faithful united by a hierarchy according to a norm of law which the supreme authority of Church expressly or tacitly recognizes as sui juris. A rite is the liturgical, theological, spiritual, and disciplinary patrimony of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested in each Church sui juris. These rites include the Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean, and Constantinopolitan traditions. The rites of the Eastern Churches, as the patrimony of the entire Church of Christ, in which there is clearly evident the tradition which has come from the Apostles through the Fathers and which affirm divine unity in diversity of the Catholic faith, are to be religiously preserved and fostered. Due to the apostolicity of the institutions, liturgies, and spirituality, the Eastern Churches are held in high esteem and accorded equal dignity between themselves. 

Following the Great Schism of 1054, two ecumenical councils attempted to reunify the Latin and Byzantine Churches. Unfortunately, both councils, the Second Council of Lyons in 1204 and the Council of Ferrara-Florence in 1431-1445, failed to accomplish this goal. However, the Councils did lay the groundwork for future engagement. Additionally, developments in Church doctrine led to the understanding that groups of Eastern Christians could retain their unique traditions and disciplines under the broader auspices of the Catholic Church. Over time, due in part to Catholic missionary activity, groups of Orthodox faithful from each of the Eastern Churches sought reunification with Rome. As such, hierarchies were established which allowed the preservation of Eastern liturgies, devotions, and disciplines. Currently, there are twenty-three Eastern Catholic Churches (e.g., Armenian Catholic, Ukrainian Catholic, Coptic Catholic, etc.) and approximately 17,000,000 Eastern Rite Catholics worldwide.

The Eastern Catholic Churches fall under the jurisdiction of the Pope through the Congregation of Oriental Churches, established in 1862. The Congregation exists for encouraging the development of the Eastern Catholic Churches as protecting their rights. Further, the Congregation ensures that the Eastern Churches retain their liturgical, spiritual, and disciplinary patrimony as part of the Catholic Church. Currently, the prefect for the Congregation of Oriental Churches is Archbishop Leonardo Sandri. His Excellency has been serving the Church in this capacity since 2007.

The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris (self-governing) in communion with the Roman Pontiff. Like its Armenian Apostolic counterpart, the Armenian Catholic Church observes the Armenian Rite. Thus, the Armenian Catholic Church celebrates the Divine Liturgy according to the Liturgy of St. Basil and retains the same style of art and architecture in its churches, vestments, and other items pertaining to the liturgy. Further, the Armenian Catholic Church observes the same spiritual practices as that of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

In the early 1300, Catholic missionaries entered Armenian lands and groups of Armenians began to reunite with Rome. In the Council of Ferrara-Florence (1431-1445), the Catholic Church and the various Orthodox Churches sought full corporate reunion. On November 22, 1439, during the eighth session of the Council, a decree of union was made between the Catholic and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Though the decree established a doctrinal basis for the establishment of the Armenian Catholic Church, there was little in the way of immediate practical results. Over time, Armenian Catholics began to ask for a forma hierarchical structure. In 1742, Pope Benedict XIV appointed a patriarch, a former Armenian Apostolic bishop, Abraham Ardizivian, as Patriarch over the Armenian Catholics in the southern territories of the Ottoman Empire. In the northern provinces, the faithful were placed under the auspices of the Latin Rite apostolic vicar in Constantinople. Since this caused serious tensions, Armenian Catholics were eventually given their own millet to be governed by their own archbishop.

Under the millet system of the Ottoman Empire, Armenian Catholics were placed under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch in Constantinople. Since this caused serious tensions, Armenian Catholics were eventually given their own millet to be governed by their own archbishop in 1829.

Due to the Armenian Genocide, where approximately100,000 Armenian Catholics were murdered, including one hundred priests and forty-seven nuns, an Armenian Catholic synod of bishops voted to move the Patriarchate back to Lebanon.

A number of Armenian Catholics lived in territory controlled by Russia. In the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, the Armenian Catholic Church was entirely suppressed by the Soviet Union. Once the Soviet Union fell, the Holy See established an Armenian Catholic Ordinariate in Gyumri, Armenia in 1991. There are approximately 800,000 Armenian Catholics worldwide.

According to the most ancient tradition of the Church, patriarchal churches were recognized in the first ecumenical councils. Consequently, special honor is accorded to the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, each of whom presides over his patriarchal church as father and head. A patriarch is a bishop who enjoys power over all bishops, including, metropolitans and other Christian faithful of the Church over which he presides. Patriarchs of Eastern Churches precede all bishops of any degree everywhere in the world, with due regard for special norms of precedence established by the Roman Pontiff.

A patriarch is canonically elected in the synod of bishops of the patriarchal church. When a new patriarch is elected, he must make a profession of faith, promise to exercise his office with fidelity, and request ecclesiastical communion with the Roman Pontiff in a letter by his own hand. Additionally, Upon their enthronement, patriarchs have taken a second name, Bedros (Peter), to demonstrate their union with the Roman Pontiff.

The powers of the patriarch include (a) calling the synod of bishops, (b) ordaining metropolitans, (c) ordaining bishops, (d) issuing decrees regarding the law of the patriarchal church, € instructing the faithful, and (e) issue encyclical letters concerning his own Church. 

The patriarch must manifest hierarchical communion with the Roman Pontiff through commemoration in the Divine Liturgy (and see that it is done by the bishops and faithful), visit the Roman Pontiff, and send him a report concerning the state over the Church in which he presides.

The cathedra (seat) of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate is the Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator in Beirut, Lebanon.