Pope celebrates Mass with Armenian Patriarch, as a sign of 'Ecclesial Communion'

2015-09-07
http://www.romereports.com/2015/09/...riarch-as-a-sign-of-ecclesial-communion-



It's a Mass that will go down in history. It marks the first time, Pope Francis concelebrated Mass with the newly elected Armenian Patriarch, His Beatitude, Gregory Peter XX Chabroyan. This after, the Pope granted the Patriarch 'ecclesial communion.' A concrete sign that confirms the Eucharistic communion between the two.




BEATITUDE GREGORY PETER XX CHABROYAN

Armenian Patriarch

"For us and for the Armenian Church it has been an extraordinary day. The entire hierarchy of the Church was there. FLASH! It was the first time, and for me at 81 years old, it will probably be the last.”




Pope Francis granted the so called 'Ecclesiastica Communio' back in July after the Patriarch was elected. Now, it was actually put into practice in Mass with the consecration of the Eucharist.




Before that, they had met in the Vatican in April, when a Mass was held in St. Peter's Basilica, to mark 100 years since the Armenian Genocide.




In addition to his Armenian heritage, the Patriarch lives in Lebanon and was born in Syria, where thousands are fleeing from war and persecution. The persecution of religious minorities is something he's personally seen for years.




BEATITUDE GREGORY PETER XX CHABROYAN

Armenian Patriarch

"It's a cross that my fellow Christian brothers and sisters are carrying. They need encouragement and they need support. These poor refugees.--we are all brothers and sisters and all they want is something to eat.”




At the age of 81, he is the oldest elected Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians. When he was elected, back in July, he says he had his doubts, but he let go and allowed faith lead the way.




BEATITUDE GREGORY PETER XX CHABROYAN

Armenian Patriarch

"When I was elected, I said 'wait a second.' I asked Cardinal Sandri to speak with Pope Francis and see if he would bless and encourage a Bishop who for the most part was retired.”




The Patriarchate of Cilicia is the only patriarchate within the Armenian Catholic Church. Back in 1866, the seat of the patriarchate was moved to Constantinople under the Ottoman Empire, but in 1928 it was moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where it still remains to this day.

09/07/2015
VATICAN
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope...any-powers-that-could-stop-it-35244.html

Pope slams continued martyrdom of many Christians "amid complicit silence of many powers that could stop it"

Francis concelebrates Mass with new Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, and with all the bishops of the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Church. "The first nation who converted to Christianity: the first. It persecuted just for being Christian”. “We do not know what will happen here. We do not know! But may the Lord give us the grace of courage, should this persecution happen here too one day".

[Linked Image]

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The martyrdom of many Christians "with the complicit silence of many powers that could stop it”, was denounced by Pope Francis during his homily at Mass celebrated this morning in Casa Santa Marta, inspired by the Gospel story of the wrath of the scribes and Pharisees who discuss how to kill Jesus because he had performed a miracle on a Saturday.

Mass was concelebrated this morning with the new Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Gregory Peter XX Ghabroyan (pictured), Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, and all the bishops of the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Church.

During his reflections, the Pope once again evoked the persecution suffered by Christians, even today, "perhaps more than in the early days": persecuted, killed, driven out, stripped just for being Christians. “Dear brothers and sisters, there is no Christianity without persecution. Remember the last of the Beatitudes: when they bring you into the synagogues, and persecute you, revile you, this is the fate of a Christian. Today too, this happens before the whole world, with the complicit silence of many powerful leaders who could stop it. We are facing this Christian fate: go on the same path of Jesus.”

The Pope recalled, “One of many great persecutions: that of the Armenian people”: “The first nation to convert to Christianity: the first. They were persecuted just for being Christians,” he said. “The Armenian people were persecuted, chased away from their homeland, helpless, in the desert.” This story - he observed - began with Jesus: what people did, “to Jesus, has during the course of history been done to His body, which is the Church.”

“Today,” the Pope continued, “I would like, on this day of our first Eucharist, as brother Bishops, dear brother Bishops and Patriarch and all of you Armenian faithful and priests, to embrace you and remember this persecution that you have suffered, and to remember your holy ones, your many saints who died of hunger, in the cold, under torture, [cast] into the wilderness only for being Christians.”

The Pontiff also remembered the broader persecution of Christians in the present day. “We now, in the newspapers, hear the horror of what some terrorist groups do, who slit the throats of people just because [their victims] are Christians. We think of the Egyptian martyrs, recently, on the Libyan coast, who were slaughtered while pronouncing the name of Jesus.”

Pope Francis prayed that the Lord might, “give us a full understanding, to know the Mystery of God who is in Christ,” and who, “carries the Cross, the Cross of persecution, the Cross of hatred, the Cross of that, which comes from the anger,” of persecutors – an anger that is stirred up by “the Father of Evil”:

“May the Lord, today, make us feel within the body of the Church, the love for our martyrs and also our vocation to martyrdom. We do not know what will happen here: we do not know. Only Let the Lord give us the grace, should this persecution happen here one day, of the courage and the witness that all Christian martyrs have shown, and especially the Christians of the Armenian people.”

Axios!

My only disappointment is that the new Catholicos-Patriarch is not wearing the clerical attire of his immediate predecessor, but wearing instead the Maronite jibbee (with its characteristic red ribbons), which is worn also by other Eastern Catholic hierarchy.

Here is a photo of the late Catholicos-Patriarch Nerses Petros XIX Tarmouni:
[Linked Image]

His clerical attire was the closest to his Armenian Apostolic counterparts, with the exception of wearing a klobuk instead of a veghar.
[Linked Image]

I'd say the klobuk looks rather odd too for an Armenian patriarch. I notice that Coptic Catholic bishops wear similar headgear, and I wonder why. I know some OO's find this makes them look rather odd and inauthentic.