Page 74 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Hierarchy and Decision-making
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almost four centuries of vacancy, by the
commemoration of the centennial of the
Armenian Genocide, and by the canonization
of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide in
2015, as well as by the active participation
of the two Catholicosates in a number of
initiatives, projects, and actions on a pan-
Armenian scale.
The late Catholicos Karekin II of the Holy
See of Cilicia, who had been my professor
of Armenian Church history, stated this
situation clearly: "The two Catholicosates have
existed in the Armenian Church as distinct, inde-
pendent Sees since 1441. They have recognized
each other's status and respective jurisdictions….
They should not be opponents, nor competitors;
2
rather, they must function as co-workers." I
fully agree with his discerning and objective
remark. In light of the changing realities
and circumstances, and in response to the
growing concerns and expectations of our
people, it is my firm hope that through the
closer and broader collaboration between
the two Catholicosates, both on diocesan
and global levels, and with the help of
church and community leadership, the issues
and challenges pertaining to the multiple
spheres of our Church will, in the course of
time, be realistically and seriously addressed.