Episcopal Assembly starts meeting in St. Polten, Austria

ArmInfo. The Episcopal Assembly began its meeting in St.  Polten, Austria, on February 17.  Twenty-five archbishops and bishops of the Catholicosate of All Armenians of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, including representatives of the Jerusalem and Constantinople Patriarchates, participated in the Divine Liturgy in the morning, according to the  Divan of the Episcopal Assembly.

The meeting of bishops opened in the afternoon with the "Our Father," followed by a reading of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians on unity. Supreme Patriarch and  Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II then addressed the  participants online, as Armenian law enforcement officials had banned  him from leaving the country. Then, Catholicos Aram I of the Great  House of Cilicia, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Nourhan  Manoukian, and Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Sahak  Mashalian addressed the participants.

Following the discussion and approval of the agenda, Divan was  elected to lead the further work of the Council of Bishops. That same  day, an evening service was held in St. Polten Cathedral with the  participation of the bishops, at which His Eminence Bishop Alois  Schwartz, Primate of the Diocese of St.  Polten of the Catholic  Church, addressed them with a welcoming address.