News > Syrian Armenians > Pontifical visit of Catholicos Aram I to Syria (Latakia, Kessab, Damascus)

Consecration of a new church in the village of Karaduran in Kessab

“We should not only go to Church, we should incorporate the Church into our lives”, said Catholicos Aram I
 
The Armenians in Latakia welcome the Catholicos

On Friday 16 October 2009, His Holiness Aram I left Antelias on a pastoral visit to Syria, accompanied by the members of the brotherhood.

Bishop Shahan Sarkissian, Prelate of Aleppo and its Regions, Members of the Church bodies and Community organizations, and the local inhabitants both Arabs and Armenians gave his Holiness a warm welcome. As the procession approached St. Mary’s Armenian Church in Latakia, Catholicos Aram I and his entourage continued the journey on foot.

In His welcoming speech, Bishop Shahan recalled the Pontiff’s first visit to this region of the diocese thirteen years ago. Following formal welcoming speeches, Catholicos Aram I thanked everyone for their warm reception and spoke of the strong link between Church and people. He stated that the vocation of the church is not to guard its buildings; rather it is to give expression to its values through the faithful people. With this conviction, the Church has sustained Armenian identity, he said.

In the evening Catholicos Aram attended a dinner given in his honor by the community, during which he congratulated Mr. Boghos Nazarian for his forty years of service to the Church and decorated him with the ‘Cilician Knight’ insignia. 

His Holiness Aram I and his delegation met with religious leaders and political figures of the region at the main hall of St. Mary’s Church in Latakia. They discussed relations among Christian communities in the region and the importance of Christian-Muslim dialogue. After thanking the guests for their warm reception, Catholicos Aram I said that after the genocide, Armenians had found a home in Syria, where they had not only built their lives but had also contributed to nation-building in Syria.

The population of Kessab received Catholicos Aram with great enthusiasm

On Saturday 17 October 2009, His Holiness Aram I left Latakia for Kessab. He was once again received warmly by the local religious, political leaders and the population. In his welcome speech, the Prelate Bishop Shahan Sarkissian said that Kessab was a special place not only because of the peoples’ contribution to the Syrian homeland, but also because of the significant number of young seminarians who later served the church as Catholicos, bishops, priests or teachers.

After thanking all for their warm reception, Catholicos Aram I noted that the predominantly Armenian region of Kessab is a living example of what a people can achieve. He then continued: “You endured and remained on these lands for centuries; you flourished as a community by holding to the spiritual and cultural values of our people, and you continue to reflect your experiences in the lives of the communities in the Armenian Diaspora."

After a special cultural evening, His Holiness Aram I was invited to a dinner organized by the community. During dinner, he decorated Mr. Sebouh Manjikian with the "Cilician Night" insignia for his contributions towards the costs of the construction of the Church to be consecrated on Sunday 18 October 2009.

Consecration of Saint Mary's Church in Karaduran

On Sunday 18 October 2009, in the presence of bishops and priests of the brotherhood from Lebanon and Syria, religious representatives, lay leaders and a large number of people from Syria and other countries, His Holiness Aram I consecrated the new Church.

The town of Karaduran has a long history of building churches and then losing contact with them whenever the map of the region has been redrawn. St Mary’s Church was constructed because the old one, which had been built in 1950, was about to crumble. After singing psalms and prayers of thanksgiving, His Holiness Aram I anointed the altar; bishops Shahan and Norayr then annointed the four corners of the church. His Holiness Aram I said: “Wherever our people have gone, they have built a church next to their homes. However, we should not only be churchgoers, but we should incorporate the church into our lives. We are not anointing the stones of the altar and the walls, but we are renewing our covenant with God, with our church Tradition, its spirituality and on the path carved by St. Gregory of Nareg and St. Nerses the Gracious."

After the consecration and liturgy, celebrations continued with a public banquet in the presence of Catholicos Aram I.  

Catholicos Aram I meets the President of Syria Dr. Bashar Al-Assad

On Monday 19 October 2009, before leaving for Beirut, His Holiness Aram I met with H.E. Dr. Bashar al-Assad.

During the meeting, which lasted for one-and-a-half hours, the President spoke of the positive contribution of Armenian communities to nation building. President Al-Assad and His Holiness discussed the peace process and other issues affecting the region. They also discussed what role religion might play in the goal of building peace with justice, and they agreed that particular attention should be given to interreligious dialogue and the dialogue of cultures.  

Before returning to Lebanon Catholicos Aram I met also Patriarchs Ignatius Hazim IV and Zakka I Iwas.

Source: Website of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, Beirut, 16-19 October 2009
www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org

 

Community leaders and officials meet with His Holiness Aram I in Latakia, 16 October 2009	Community leaders and officials meet with His Holiness Aram I in Latakia, 16 October 2009	Pontifical banquet in honor of His Holiness Aram I in Latakia, 16 October 2009	Hrashapar Service and Achahampouyr at St. Mary church in Latakia, 16 October 2009
Hrashapar Service and Achahampouyr at St. Mary church in Kessab, 17 October 2009	Hrashapar Service and Achahampouyr at St. Mary church in Kessab, 17 October 2009	Pontifical banquet in honor of His Holiness Aram I in Kessab, 17 October 2009	Catholicos Aram I decorating Mr. Sebouh Manjikian with the Cilician Knight insignia, 17 October 2009
Consecration of the newly built St. Mary church in Karaduran, Kessab, 18 October 2009	Consecration of the newly built St. Mary church in Karaduran, Kessab, 18 October 2009	Consecration of the newly built St. Mary church in Karaduran, Kessab, 18 October 2009	Consecration of the newly built St. Mary church in Karaduran, Kessab, 18 October 2009
His Holiness Aram I meeting with the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Damascus, 19 October 2009	His Holiness Aram I meeting with the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Damascus, 19 October 2009