Armenian Orthodox Pope Visits Southern California
His Holiness Aram I, one of two major spiritual leaders of Armenian Orthodox Christians, arrived Thursday for his first pontifical visit to Southern California. The head of the church’s Lebanon headquarters in the Holy See of Cilicia, he was consecrated as the catholicos, or pope, last July after serving as primate of the Armenian Orthodox community in Lebanon for 15 years.
During his 28-day trip to California he will meet with civic leaders, visit the Nixon library in Yorba Linda and join in church celebrations and worship services with local Armenian congregations. He is also scheduled to visit Fresno, San Francisco and Sacramento.
His Southern California visit concludes Friday night, June 28, with a major banquet at the Universal Hilton Hotel.
This is the first pontifical visit here by Aram I since he was consecrated as the 45th catholicos of the Beirut-based wing of Armenian Christianity. The Lebanese-based church recognizes the primacy of the mother church in Armenia, and the two branches have increasingly cooperated in recent years while talking of reunification.
The 49-year-old pontiff has written several books in English and holds a doctorate from Fordham University.
Since 1991, he has served as moderator of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches--the first person from Orthodox Christianity to hold that high a post in the ecumenical body.
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