Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Address of Catholicos Aram I
THE ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS ARAM I, CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA
DURING HIS PUBLIC MEETING WITH HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI
ON 24 NOVEMBER 2008, THE VATICAN CITY
It gives me a profound spiritual joy to greet Your Holiness in the spirit of Christian love and with the commitment to the visible unity of the church, which Your predecessor His Holiness Pope Jean Paul II of blessed memory and we greeted each other in 1997. In the Common Declaration that we signed we said that "our meeting has offered a privileged opportunity to pray and reflect together, and to renew our commitment and common efforts to the unity of Christians".
Renewed and strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit, we continued the ecumenical journey of our predecessors. We firmly believe that this is the only way, sustained by our Lords commandment of love and unity, that shall lead us to a common mission in a world in dire need of the life-giving message of the Gospel. In fact, the deep involvement of the Armenian Church, together with the other churches of the Oriental Orthodox family, in the bilateral theological dialogue with the Catholic Church, our active participation in major ecumenical initiatives of the Catholic Church on the global level, as well as our close collaboration through ecumenical structures and joint ventures, on local and regional levels, are tangible and eloquent expressions of our Churchs firm conviction that ecumenism is crucial for the life and mission of the churches in the world today.
Your Holiness, the ecumenical relations and collaboration of our two Churches are deeply rooted in our respective histories. In fact, due to geo-political circumstances, when the Armenians were obliged to leave Armenia and establish their national and political life in Cilicia in the 10th century by creating the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, the Armenian Church, too, moved its administrative center, the Catholicosate, from Armenia to Cilicia. This new environment, with its multi-religious, multi-confessional and multi-ethnic character, engaged the Armenians in a creative and dynamic interaction with the Latin and Byzantine Churches. Fraternal meetings, exchanges of letters, formal visits and ecumenical encounters have marked the long history of our relations.
The world of today, with its complexities, polarisations and uncertainties, challenges our Churches to deepen and broaden our ecumenical collaboration and theological dialogue, aimed at the visible unity of the church. In spite of the considerable advances in ecumenical growth and multilateral and bilateral theological dialogues, world Christendom remains divided. We believe that a divided church cannot credibly and effectively take the Gospel to the world. The united voice and the common witness of the churches in a polarized world is the call of Christ, which is more imperative and urgent today than ever before.
The world of today, with its corrupted values, reminds us of the vital importance of healing and transformation. Our Churches should not remain indifferent to the growing decay of ethical and spiritual values, nor to the marginalization of Christian traditions and the distortion of Christian identity. Uncritical openness of our communities to the "new values" of globalization and secularism need to be tested by the Gospel values that give quality and meaning to Christian life and ensure its integrity and identity.
The world of today, with its dire need for justice and reconciliation, urges our Churches to become the true messengers of peace by promoting human rights, working for justice for those who are denied justice, and seeking peace and reconciliation in situations of tension and conflict. These imperatives form an integral part of Christian witness and diakonia. In this context the churches, the religions and states must recognize all genocides, including the Armenian Genocide, and must endeavour to prevent new genocides by affirming the rights of all people for dignity, freedom and self-determination. This is crucial for a peaceful world.
The world of today, with its growing pluralism, manifested in all spheres and aspects of society life, calls our Churches to involve themselves in a responsible inter-faith dialogue. We are living in a globalized world characterized by interdependence and interaction. We must become part of the dialogue that preserves and articulates the integrity and uniqueness of Christian faith and opens Gods revelation, enfolded in the Bible and the Tradition, to other religions, while at the same time, respecting their traditions and values. Lebanon, where I come from, is, indeed, a country of such dialogue.
Your Holiness, this is the challenge before us.
In spite of our doctrinal, ecclesiological and theological differences, we must work together on the basis of our common apostolic faith and in faithfulness to our common calling.
This encounter in the presence of our archbishops, bishops, and laity, representing our communities in the Middle East, in Europe and in North America, marks an important step forward in our centuries-old fraternal relation and collaboration. I am confident that it will enhance our ecumenical commitment to reflecting and acting, witnessing and serving together on the way towards the full realization of Gods kingdom inaugurated by our Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray to the Almighty God to strengthen Your Holiness physically and spiritually as you carry on your pontifical mission in a world torn apart by so many crises and conflicts.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of us.
ARAM I
CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA
24 November 2008
Antelias, Lebanon
Armenian Catholicosate Of Cilicia's Address
PO Box : 70 317 Antelias - LEBANON
Tel: (+961-4) 410 001 / 3
Fax: (+961-4) 419724
E-mail: info@armenianorthodoxchurch.org
http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org