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97TH ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM INSTALLED
Ekklesia, UK
June 11 2013
On 4 June 2013, many pilgrims, as well as clergy and guests from all
corners of the world, filled the rather limited but wondrous space
of St James's Cathedral in order to attend the enthronement of the
97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was formally installed as successor
to the throne of St James, the first bishop of Jerusalem. During the
enthronement, he knelt at the altar, recited his pledge of faithfulness
to the Lord and his commitment to safeguard the Armenian presence
in the Holy Land while seven archbishops also recreated an ancient
ceremony by placing their right hands on Archbishop Manougian in order
to bestow him with the authority to lead the Armenian See of Jerusalem.
The newly-enthroned patriarch then delivered a short but moving sermon
in which he re-iterated his commitment to this challenging ministry
as he underlined the humility with which he was accepting his new
patriarchal staff of authority.
Here is the sermon of enthronement:
http://www.armenianpatriarchateofjerusalem.com/news/qaroz-english.html
Subsequently, letters were read on behalf of HH Karekin II, the
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and HH Aram I,
the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, whilst Archbishop
Aram Ateshian, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of
Constantinople, presented the newly-elected patriarch with a chalice.
As many Armenians - and perhaps some non-Armenians too - know already,
the throne of St James dates back to the 17th century and is carved
from precious wood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. It stands at the
original grave of St James, the first bishop of Jerusalem and the
brother of Jesus, which has since been moved under the main altar of
the cathedral. This throne is used only once annually on the Feast
of St James.
But who is the new Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem succeeding to the
late Archbishop Torkom Manoogian?
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was officially elected on 24 January 2013
during the 22nd session of the general assembly of St James's monastic
brotherhood. Previously the Grand Sacristan, this multi-lingual man
now presides over a small but still vibrant Armenian community in
a jurisdiction that covers Palestine, Jordan and Israel. He is a
man of determination who can show compassion as much as rise to the
challenges that come his way.
I do not know this new patriarch well personally, alas. In fact, and
perhaps exceptionally, our paths have hardly ever crossed over those
past decades when I have collaborated closely with the patriarchate.
However, I am confident he will serve the Armenian community faithfully
and his compassion as much as resolve will both come in handy to help
him reach out to fellow Armenians and to neighbours alike in a land
that has witnessed its share of challenges, hardships and discords.
After all, here is a land made holy in part by the fact that all three
monotheistic faiths claim to own it - or at least part of it. It is
also where the overall numbers of Christian - including Armenians -
have been diminishing inexorably ever since the early 1900s. Moreover,
here is a small parcel of land that has been struggling with an
invidious and illegal occupation since 1967 and one where religious
radicalism and exclusivist tendencies of all sorts have clearly been
on the rise. So whether on political, ecumenical, economic or merely
Armenian grounds, the new patriarch has his work cut out for him.
Today, all I would wish to do as an Armenian layperson who hails
from the same jurisdiction, and as a proud Ekklesia associate,
is to hope - humbly but also expectantly - that Archbishop Nourhan
will shepherd the Armenian community that has been in the Holy Land
for long centuries and that traces its roots in some measure to the
victims of the Armenian genocide during WWI who fled to Palestine
and were welcomed with traditional hospitality by its Muslim and
Christian Arab communities.
The new patriarch invoked the prophet Isaiah in his sermon. This is a
land that has welcomed, nurtured and certainly maligned many prophets -
whether authentic or false. So let me not think of prophets old or new
today but exhort the new patriarch to be a reform-minded ally of the
truth as he labours in the vineyard of the Lord and let me simply add
in Armenian, Shnorhavor ella, badriark hayr - or a nakedly prayerful
"good luck" in English too!
© Harry Hagopian is an international lawyer, ecumenist and EU
political consultant. He also acts as a Middle East and inter-faith
advisor to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales
and as Middle East consultant to ACEP (Christians in Politics)
in Paris. He is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor
(http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/HarryHagopian). Formerly an Executive
Secretary of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Committee and Executive
Director of the Middle East Council of Churches, he is now an
international fellow, Sorbonne III University, Paris, consultant to
the Campaign for Recognition of the Armenian Genocide (UK), Ecumenical
consultant to the Primate of Armenian Church in UK & Ireland, and
author of The Armenian Church in the Holy Land. Dr Hagopian's own
website is www.epektasis.net Follow him on Twitter here: @harryhagopian
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18523
Ekklesia, UK
June 11 2013
On 4 June 2013, many pilgrims, as well as clergy and guests from all
corners of the world, filled the rather limited but wondrous space
of St James's Cathedral in order to attend the enthronement of the
97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was formally installed as successor
to the throne of St James, the first bishop of Jerusalem. During the
enthronement, he knelt at the altar, recited his pledge of faithfulness
to the Lord and his commitment to safeguard the Armenian presence
in the Holy Land while seven archbishops also recreated an ancient
ceremony by placing their right hands on Archbishop Manougian in order
to bestow him with the authority to lead the Armenian See of Jerusalem.
The newly-enthroned patriarch then delivered a short but moving sermon
in which he re-iterated his commitment to this challenging ministry
as he underlined the humility with which he was accepting his new
patriarchal staff of authority.
Here is the sermon of enthronement:
http://www.armenianpatriarchateofjerusalem.com/news/qaroz-english.html
Subsequently, letters were read on behalf of HH Karekin II, the
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and HH Aram I,
the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, whilst Archbishop
Aram Ateshian, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of
Constantinople, presented the newly-elected patriarch with a chalice.
As many Armenians - and perhaps some non-Armenians too - know already,
the throne of St James dates back to the 17th century and is carved
from precious wood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. It stands at the
original grave of St James, the first bishop of Jerusalem and the
brother of Jesus, which has since been moved under the main altar of
the cathedral. This throne is used only once annually on the Feast
of St James.
But who is the new Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem succeeding to the
late Archbishop Torkom Manoogian?
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was officially elected on 24 January 2013
during the 22nd session of the general assembly of St James's monastic
brotherhood. Previously the Grand Sacristan, this multi-lingual man
now presides over a small but still vibrant Armenian community in
a jurisdiction that covers Palestine, Jordan and Israel. He is a
man of determination who can show compassion as much as rise to the
challenges that come his way.
I do not know this new patriarch well personally, alas. In fact, and
perhaps exceptionally, our paths have hardly ever crossed over those
past decades when I have collaborated closely with the patriarchate.
However, I am confident he will serve the Armenian community faithfully
and his compassion as much as resolve will both come in handy to help
him reach out to fellow Armenians and to neighbours alike in a land
that has witnessed its share of challenges, hardships and discords.
After all, here is a land made holy in part by the fact that all three
monotheistic faiths claim to own it - or at least part of it. It is
also where the overall numbers of Christian - including Armenians -
have been diminishing inexorably ever since the early 1900s. Moreover,
here is a small parcel of land that has been struggling with an
invidious and illegal occupation since 1967 and one where religious
radicalism and exclusivist tendencies of all sorts have clearly been
on the rise. So whether on political, ecumenical, economic or merely
Armenian grounds, the new patriarch has his work cut out for him.
Today, all I would wish to do as an Armenian layperson who hails
from the same jurisdiction, and as a proud Ekklesia associate,
is to hope - humbly but also expectantly - that Archbishop Nourhan
will shepherd the Armenian community that has been in the Holy Land
for long centuries and that traces its roots in some measure to the
victims of the Armenian genocide during WWI who fled to Palestine
and were welcomed with traditional hospitality by its Muslim and
Christian Arab communities.
The new patriarch invoked the prophet Isaiah in his sermon. This is a
land that has welcomed, nurtured and certainly maligned many prophets -
whether authentic or false. So let me not think of prophets old or new
today but exhort the new patriarch to be a reform-minded ally of the
truth as he labours in the vineyard of the Lord and let me simply add
in Armenian, Shnorhavor ella, badriark hayr - or a nakedly prayerful
"good luck" in English too!
© Harry Hagopian is an international lawyer, ecumenist and EU
political consultant. He also acts as a Middle East and inter-faith
advisor to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales
and as Middle East consultant to ACEP (Christians in Politics)
in Paris. He is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor
(http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/HarryHagopian). Formerly an Executive
Secretary of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Committee and Executive
Director of the Middle East Council of Churches, he is now an
international fellow, Sorbonne III University, Paris, consultant to
the Campaign for Recognition of the Armenian Genocide (UK), Ecumenical
consultant to the Primate of Armenian Church in UK & Ireland, and
author of The Armenian Church in the Holy Land. Dr Hagopian's own
website is www.epektasis.net Follow him on Twitter here: @harryhagopian
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18523