Monday, October 22 2018 11:37

ArmInfo. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's working visit to Lebanon continues. On the second day of the visit, on October 21, Nikol Pashinyan and his spouse Anna  Hakobyan visited the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in  Antelias, where they attended the Divine Liturgy dedicated to the  50th anniversary of the ordination of Catholicos of the Great House  of Cilicia, His Holiness Aram the First.

Representatives of the Lebanese President, Government and Parliament, as well as  representatives of the Armenian community were in attendance, the  press service of Prime Minister informs.  His Holiness Aram I noted  in his speech: "In recent months a new chapter of love and solidarity  has opened in our people's life, especially in Armenia, and I am  convinced that this page of love and solidarity should become a page  of national unity, a sacred mission Armenia's rehabilitation with the  full commitment and participation of all the sons of our people. Mr.  Acting Prime Minister, the Catholicosate of the Great House of  Cilicia will continue in its devotion and faith to strengthen Armenia  and Artsakh."

After the Divine Liturgy, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  delivered congratulatory remarks:  "Your Holiness, 

Honorable Clergymen, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Dear Guests,

I am very much touched by your kind invitation, this long-awaited  meeting and this wonderful Armenian atmosphere in the fraternal  Lebanese land. I am excited that ex- officio and also, as an  Armenian, who used to hear since early childhood about the role  played by the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in  Armenia's history, I have the honor to congratulate you on the 50th  anniversary of your ordination.

Indeed, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia is the spiritual  center of a large part of Apostolic Armenians in the Diaspora, a  unique forge for the preservation and enrichment of church and  religious traditions. Antilias is in the hearts of thousands of  Armenians.

We are grateful that our national identity, our cultural values and  programs have been conserved for many years in these walls.  Invaluable is the role of the Catholicosate of the Great House of  Cilicia in the formation and organization of the Armenian Diaspora in  the wake of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. It is not by  chance that in the most difficult period for our people, Lebanon  became a beacon of salvation for tens of thousands of Armenians who  survived the Genocide.  Today, interstate relations between Armenia  and Lebanon are at a high level. In this regard, the role of the  Armenian community in this fraternal land is great, which, under the  leadership of the Catholicosate, puts its abilities, knowledge and  creative potential to serve the prosperity of their second homeland -  Lebanon. Thank you for creating such a story.  Your Holiness,

Committed to the people and the Church, your activity is of  particular importance in terms of national identity preservation, the  Christian faith and the spiritual and cultural values in the Armenian  Diaspora.

We are delighted with your creative and large-scale efforts that have  been successfully editing the past and modern history of the  Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia and its diocesan  structures.

It would be hard to overestimate the influence and weight of His  Holiness Aram I's blessings and wise remarks on the road to building  the Armenian statehood, implementing and organizing pan-Armenian  priorities and national life.

Your support for the non-violent velvet popular revolution in Armenia  was as much encouraging for us. It has become the best testimony of  your selfless dedication to the universal values of freedom and  humanism. We felt stronger in Armenia having the support of our  Diaspora. I hope that from now on you will feel more proud and strong  thanks to the New Armenia.

Mediating your service, you connect not only the spiritual and  secular worlds, but also the interchurch and interfaith world,  standing as a credit to the Armenian people.

Your Holiness,

The new era of reorganization and revival of the mission of the  Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia will henceforth be  associated with your name and your hard work. Truly, you are a  pioneer in the preservation and development of Western Armenian, and  a pioneer in spreading the love of a pure mother tongue among the  younger generation.

It is not by chance that the main center for the creation and  distribution of textbooks on the Armenian studies disciplines for  Armenian schools is Antilias, and you, with your devotion to the  cause, give a new impetus to this national-patriotic work.  Your  Holiness,

I am glad and happy that my generation is your contemporary: your  name alone gives a feeling of pride, and your speeches from the  highest tribunes, your wise and influential words about the Armenian  Genocide, Syrian-Armenians and other issues of national importance  are inspiring, and revive national pride.

We have always kept in focus the latest events in Syria and the Arab  world. We hope that your efforts to preserve the historical and  cultural heritage, the management of Armenian assets, and the  restoration of the Armenian community of Syria will be successful.

The security and stability of friendly Lebanon is very important,  which is the guarantor of the normal functioning of the Armenian  community in this country. It is also important for us because we in  Armenia feel responsibility for our compatriots.  Your efforts to  ensure Armenia-Diaspora cooperation in the process of international  recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide are of  particular importance to us.

These efforts were best demonstrated by your numerous initiatives  within the framework of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian  Genocide. Your joint prayers with Catholicos of All Armenians, His  Holiness Garegin II in memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian  Genocide in those days came as an important message of solidarity to  all of us.

We are grateful that you as an eminent scholar, Armenologist and  theologian, who has combined wisdom, endless patriotism and constant  service for over half a century to fulfill your sacred mission before  God, the Armenian Apostolic Church and Motherland. 

May God grant you many years of life! May your powers be multiplied  to the benefit of the Armenian State and the Armenian Church! May  your patriarchal staff flourish and may the Armenian Apostolic Church  be unshakable! May the Lord bless Lebanon! May the Lord bless  Armenia! May the Lord bless the Armenian people and the people of  Lebanon!