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ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE GEARING UP FOR ELECTION OF 97TH INCUMBENT
http://hetq.am/eng/news/22588/armenian-patriarchate-gearing-up-for-election-of-97th-incumbent.html
12:07, January 23, 2013
Arthur Hagopian
Jerusalem, Jan 23 - The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is gearing
up for one of the most momentous events in the 2,000 year-old
history of the Armenian presence in the Holy Land. Preparations
for the election of a new patriarch to succeed the late Archbishop
Torkom Manoogian, are proceeding at a brisk rate, with the main event
scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Patriarchate sources told this correspondence tomorrow's agenda is
designed to narrow down the list of potential candidates to five. This
will later be pared down even further, to two, before the final vote is
cast. Under the rules and regulations of the Patriarchate, any member
of the Priestly Brotherhood of St James, that is, priests ordained
in Jerusalem, would be eligible for election. But in practical terms,
the incumbent is chosen from among the ranks of the highest princes -
the archbishops - of the Armenian church.
The total number of Armenian archbishops who were ordained priests by
the Jerusalem Patriarchate today stands at 8, three of them based in
Jerusalem, and the remaining five ministering to the needs of Armenian
congregations in the diaspora.
The sources revealed that the front-runners to become the 97th
Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, in a direct transmission from
the first patriarch, Abraham, are the Grand Sacristan, Archbishop
Nourhan Manoogian and Director of Ecumenical Relations, Archbishop
Aris Shirvanian, the current Locum Tenens.
Manoogian (no relation to the late patriarch) was born in Aleppo in
1948 and ordained a priest in 1971. He was anointed bishop in 1999.
Shirvanian, who is older, was born in Haifa in 1934 and ordained a
celibate priest in 1957. He became a bishop in 1974.
Archbishop Sevan Gharibian, born in Beirut in 1940 and made bishop in
1988, is the third potential Jerusalem candidate. Observers have named
the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the United States, Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian (born in 1951 in Arapgir, in the former Armenian
district of Malatya), as another leading candidate.
The late Primate of the Australian and New Zealand diocese, Archbishop
Aghan Baliozian, had been seen as yet another powerful possibility. As
the members of the St James Brotherhood pray for guidance and wait for
the fateful day to dawn, Armenians all around the world are watching
developments in Jerusalem with great anxiety.
The Armenian church in the Holy City has been forced to wade through
the morass of debilitating challenges in recent years, and needs the
strength and endurance to maintain its stature and standing not only
as the second most vital font of spiritual rejuvenation after the
Mother Church in Armenia, but also as one of the three Guardians of
the Holy Places.
Tomorrow "will be two important dates not only for the new person
succeeding Patriarch Torkom II and leading the church in the Holy Land
but equally importantly for the Armenians still living and witnessing
in those biblical and also historical lands," says one of the leading
commentators of the Middle East religious scene, Dr Harry Hagopian,
Ecumenical, Legal and Political Consultant to the Armenian Apostolic
Church.
Observers note that both of the leading contenders, Manoogian and
Shirvanian, are blessed with the requisite qualifications to lead the
church into the future. "Nourhan is a man of steel who is not afraid
of a challenge, and has the charisma and bearing of a force to be
reckoned with. He has been a pillar of strength in times of crisis
for the Patriarchate. He may be brash at times, but his indomitable
courage and determination are undeniable. The Patriarchate needs a
strong man like him at the helm," they add.
Manoogian is keen to maintain Jerusalem's traditionally strong ties
with the diaspora. His recent visit to Sydney, to attend the funeral
services for Baliozian, has been seen as further indication of his
inclinations. Observers believe Shirvanian's pronounced tact and
diplomacy will be fundamentally important in steering the church
through the morass, particularly of the political tint, surrounding
it on all sides.
"Despite his soft-spoken approach, Shirvanian has the inner strength
of a majestic lion, his sagacity and wisdom evident in all the moves
he orchestrates." Although Shirvanian is not one to shirk a challenge,
his preference is for a more softly-softly approach.
In his recent Christmas message, he dwelt heavily on the topic
of peace in the region, among the Semitic cousins, Arabs and Jews,
ending it with an invocation in Arabic and Hebrew. The late patriarch,
Manoogian, has been known as a reformer and a modernizer, a man of
vision although not all his dreams were realized. One of his grand
designs was the construction of a hostel for Armenian pilgrims and
tourists, another was a residential project that never got off the
drawing board.
Will the 97th Armenian Patriarch build on those dreams, or will he
have a different agenda to follow? The next few days may, hopefully,
give us an indication of where the wind will lie.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/22588/armenian-patriarchate-gearing-up-for-election-of-97th-incumbent.html
12:07, January 23, 2013
Arthur Hagopian
Jerusalem, Jan 23 - The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is gearing
up for one of the most momentous events in the 2,000 year-old
history of the Armenian presence in the Holy Land. Preparations
for the election of a new patriarch to succeed the late Archbishop
Torkom Manoogian, are proceeding at a brisk rate, with the main event
scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Patriarchate sources told this correspondence tomorrow's agenda is
designed to narrow down the list of potential candidates to five. This
will later be pared down even further, to two, before the final vote is
cast. Under the rules and regulations of the Patriarchate, any member
of the Priestly Brotherhood of St James, that is, priests ordained
in Jerusalem, would be eligible for election. But in practical terms,
the incumbent is chosen from among the ranks of the highest princes -
the archbishops - of the Armenian church.
The total number of Armenian archbishops who were ordained priests by
the Jerusalem Patriarchate today stands at 8, three of them based in
Jerusalem, and the remaining five ministering to the needs of Armenian
congregations in the diaspora.
The sources revealed that the front-runners to become the 97th
Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, in a direct transmission from
the first patriarch, Abraham, are the Grand Sacristan, Archbishop
Nourhan Manoogian and Director of Ecumenical Relations, Archbishop
Aris Shirvanian, the current Locum Tenens.
Manoogian (no relation to the late patriarch) was born in Aleppo in
1948 and ordained a priest in 1971. He was anointed bishop in 1999.
Shirvanian, who is older, was born in Haifa in 1934 and ordained a
celibate priest in 1957. He became a bishop in 1974.
Archbishop Sevan Gharibian, born in Beirut in 1940 and made bishop in
1988, is the third potential Jerusalem candidate. Observers have named
the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the United States, Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian (born in 1951 in Arapgir, in the former Armenian
district of Malatya), as another leading candidate.
The late Primate of the Australian and New Zealand diocese, Archbishop
Aghan Baliozian, had been seen as yet another powerful possibility. As
the members of the St James Brotherhood pray for guidance and wait for
the fateful day to dawn, Armenians all around the world are watching
developments in Jerusalem with great anxiety.
The Armenian church in the Holy City has been forced to wade through
the morass of debilitating challenges in recent years, and needs the
strength and endurance to maintain its stature and standing not only
as the second most vital font of spiritual rejuvenation after the
Mother Church in Armenia, but also as one of the three Guardians of
the Holy Places.
Tomorrow "will be two important dates not only for the new person
succeeding Patriarch Torkom II and leading the church in the Holy Land
but equally importantly for the Armenians still living and witnessing
in those biblical and also historical lands," says one of the leading
commentators of the Middle East religious scene, Dr Harry Hagopian,
Ecumenical, Legal and Political Consultant to the Armenian Apostolic
Church.
Observers note that both of the leading contenders, Manoogian and
Shirvanian, are blessed with the requisite qualifications to lead the
church into the future. "Nourhan is a man of steel who is not afraid
of a challenge, and has the charisma and bearing of a force to be
reckoned with. He has been a pillar of strength in times of crisis
for the Patriarchate. He may be brash at times, but his indomitable
courage and determination are undeniable. The Patriarchate needs a
strong man like him at the helm," they add.
Manoogian is keen to maintain Jerusalem's traditionally strong ties
with the diaspora. His recent visit to Sydney, to attend the funeral
services for Baliozian, has been seen as further indication of his
inclinations. Observers believe Shirvanian's pronounced tact and
diplomacy will be fundamentally important in steering the church
through the morass, particularly of the political tint, surrounding
it on all sides.
"Despite his soft-spoken approach, Shirvanian has the inner strength
of a majestic lion, his sagacity and wisdom evident in all the moves
he orchestrates." Although Shirvanian is not one to shirk a challenge,
his preference is for a more softly-softly approach.
In his recent Christmas message, he dwelt heavily on the topic
of peace in the region, among the Semitic cousins, Arabs and Jews,
ending it with an invocation in Arabic and Hebrew. The late patriarch,
Manoogian, has been known as a reformer and a modernizer, a man of
vision although not all his dreams were realized. One of his grand
designs was the construction of a hostel for Armenian pilgrims and
tourists, another was a residential project that never got off the
drawing board.
Will the 97th Armenian Patriarch build on those dreams, or will he
have a different agenda to follow? The next few days may, hopefully,
give us an indication of where the wind will lie.