Page 124 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Rich Spirituality 125

only after several efforts are made to save the
couple's marriage. The Church also permits,
after serious consideration, a second or even
a third marriage. The Armenian Church has a
great reservation concerning civil marriage
and divorce granted by civil courts. While it
affirms the importance of showing pastoral
sensitivity and compassion towards persons
with different sexual orientations, it does not
approve any form of sexual union between
persons of the same sex.
Anointing of the Sick
The practice of anointing the sick (hi-
wandac‘ ocum) has, in the course of time,
changed its focus and form. Actually, the
Armenian Church prefers saying prayers
for the sick and has reserved anointing for
the clergy after their death and calls it Last
Anointing (verˇjin ocum). The Church pays a
particular importance to the requiem service
or service for the repose of souls (hoge-
hangist), which takes place on the fortieth
day following death. Praying for the dead,
which is an ancient tradition in the church,
is an expression of the unbroken unity of the
ecclesial community, which embraces both
the living and the dead and extends beyond
time and space. The requiem service is
offered usually on Sundays at the end of the
Holy Mass; in principle it can be offered also
on weekdays, except on five major feasts,