Page 195 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

196 The Armenian Church

in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas" (unity in
necessary things, liberty in doubtful things,
charity in all things).
For the Armenian Church, unity is a gift
of God. Christians are separated because
of historical circumstances, but the church
is one, undivided, and unbroken. The Ar-
menian Church's vision of unity is based on
sacramental communion, which is realized
through unity in faith. Unity is not the
institutional oneness of the church; it is unity
in diversity and diversity in unity. The
simple yet mighty words of Nerses Lamp-
ronatsi, a 12th-Century theologian, constitute
the spirit of Armenian ecumenism: "Through
different languages all Christians confess the same
Christ, and we consider all Christians belonging
to the same church of Christ… When Christians
in Spain pray, that prayer is for me too, for I am a
Christian as they are; and when I am praying in
Cilicia, my prayer is for them too, for they profess
the same faith as I…. I am united by tradition to
whoever bears the name of Christ as a crown of
glory. All are in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is
11
in all...."