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Glory to Jesus Christ!/Slava Isusu Hristu!

The short answers to three questions. First, the Armenian Catholic/Apostolic relationship is warmer than that between Eastern Orthodox and the Greek Catholic. Second, I don't know about the relationship between the Armenian Catholics and the Orthodox. Third, Rome recently cannonized Ignatius Maloyan as a saint.

Periodic polemical battles and charges of splitting the Armenian people characterize the Armenian Catholic-Apostolic relationship, as with the various Orthodox-Greek Catholic bodies in various countries. However, a greater degree of aloofness characterizes the Armenian Catholic-Apostolic relationship.

I have not seen much modern polemical arguments between the Armenian Catholics and Apostolics. In the 1950s, I believe an Armenian Catholic bishop and an Apostolic monk exchanged printed arguments in Beirut. That's the last I have heard about such debates.

Periods of aloofness, animosity, and violence belong to the history of Armenian Catholic and Apostolic relations in the Ottoman period. Armenian Catholics attribute strife between Armenians Catholics and Apostolics as the reason for the foundation of a separate Armenian Catholic hierarchy in 1742. Later, the Armenian Catholics formed a separate millet (1829).

However, animosity didn't characterize the relationship at all times. Rev. Vartan Hartunian's book notes a degree of cooperation and friendliness between the Armenian Protestant, Apostolic and Catholic priests in his small town in the Ottoman Empire. I forget the name of the book, but it's a childhood story of what happened in Rev. Hartunian's small town in the time of the genocide. Rev. Hartunian - like his father - became an Armenian Protestant (Congregational or Presbyterian) minister.

Some of the animosity involved substantial beliefs about Rite, Church and Christianity. However, a number of arguments revolved around secular topics: especially "national" unity. For instance, an Armenian Apostolic catechism from 1882 talks about the Armenian Catholics separating people "from the great or main body of the Armenian nation." Also, "if they would remain Armenians, they must return to the bosom of their Mother Church, or else be inevitably lost in foreign communities." [Archbishop Khoren Narbey, "A Catechism of Christian Instruction According to the Doctrine of the Armenian Church," (New York, 1955), p. 97]. St. Paul talked about unity, but in terms of maintenance of the faith and unity in Christ.

One mitigating factor: the Armenian Catholics and Apostolics do not have much to have a turf war about. The Armenian Catholic Church is primarily a diaspora church. Outside of the Middle East and the Soviet Union, it did not contend for identical church properties with their Apostolic brethren.

In the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian Catholics were never numerous. There may be outstanding property conflicts. I'm not sure. If there are, they have not caused the degree of conflict we saw in the early to mid-1990s in Ukraine or Romania. It's still a problem in Romania.

Fr. Zugger's "The Forgotten" covers some Armenian Catholic demographics in the late Russian Empire and Soviet Union. Sad reading.

One note: the idea of Armenian preference for Muslim over Christian Byzantine rule came a book on Armenian history. It was a general survey book - the type short on references. I cannot vouch for the idea. The author (I think his name was Arpi.. it was an old book) probably summed up a popular view. However, he didn't provide the references for one to explore the idea further.

It's not a unique idea. I believe either Prof. Sugar or Jelavich talked about how some Christian rulers preferred the early Ottoman over the Habsburg yoke. Certainly Janos Zapolyai didn't mind paying Ottoman tribute for his title, compared to losing everything to Vienna.

God bless you all.
Christopher

Dear Christopher,

Thank you for enriching us all with so many intriguing points and insights!

Your point on the Armenian Catholic movement being a phenomenon outside Armenia surely makes it unique, as is every aspect of Armenian culture and religion.

Do Armenians (if only monks) use prayer beads? If so, could you share what prayers they use with them?

Alex

Glory to Jesus Christ!

It my understandin that Armenians do not have a tradition with prayer beads. I may be completely wrong. The practice might have existed before. I am not aware of it.

Some Middle Eastern Armenians will toy with the Turkish tesbeh.. and turn those into "worry beads". However, this is not the same thing.

Many Armenian Catholics adopted the Rosary devotion.

I imagine if Armenians used prayer beads in the past - secular, clerical or monastic - "Lord have mercy" would have been the prayer of choice. That's mere speculation.

God bless,
Christopher

Dear Christopher,

Yes, I have seen pictures in old Armenian prayer books in our library depicting monks with prayer beads.

In any event, it is largely a monastic devotion throughout the East, although laity are invited to participate in this devotion.

Alex

:-) Isn't the bottom line that everone in that part of the world hates everybody else? I mean, look at the mess that used to be called Yugoslavia.

When I converted, one of my first conversations I remember with my Greek priest was one in which he bemoaned his secretary renting out the church hall for a wedding party without clearing it with him first.

"She thought they were Armenians. Well, THAT would have been fine. I have nothing against Armenians; Armenians are lovely people. So, by the way, are Lebanese. But I knew as soon as I took one look at them. They weren't Armenians. THEY WERE GYPIES!"

The irony of this was that he was a veteran of the civil rights movement and ecumenical movements, yet he shuddered at the word "Gypsy." He honored the agreement his secretary had made, but he ordered the custodian to lock up everything, including the church itself. "They said they wanted to go into the church to pray. I told them they could pray anywhere. God is everywhere."