New Patriarch of Catholic Armenians (Lebanon) Elected by Synod of Bishops in Rome - is Beatitude Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian - FULL TEXT

Election of the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians (Lebanon)

The Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Cilicia of the Armenians (Lebanon), convened by the Holy Father in Rome on 22 and 23 September 2021, elected SER Raphaël François Minassian, currently titular Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia of the Armenians, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians and Ordinary for the Catholic Armenian faithful of Eastern Europe.

The elect took the name of His Beatitude Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian.

Curriculum vitae

SB Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian was born on November 24, 1946 in Beirut. He completed his studies at the Patriarchal Seminary of Bzommar (1958-1967) and studied Philosophy and Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University (1967-1973). He attended the specialization course in psycho-pedagogy at the Pontifical Salesian University .

On 24 June 1973 he was ordained a priest as a member of the Institute of the Patriarchal Clergy of Bzommar. From 1973 to 1982 he was parish priest of the Armenian Cathedral of Beirut, from 1982 to 1984 Secretary of the Patriarch Hovannes Bedros XVIII Kasparian, and from 1984 to 1989 in charge of founding the parish complex of the Holy Cross of Zalka, Beirut.

From 1975 to 1989 he was Judge at the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Armenian Church in Beirut. He taught Armenian liturgy at the Pontifical University of Kaslik from 1985 to 1989 and in 1989 he was transferred to the United States of America, where he worked for a year as a parish priest in New York. Subsequently, until 2003, he was parish priest for Catholic Armenians in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Since 2004 he has directed Telepace Armenia, of which he is Founder. In 2005 he was appointed Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem and Amman for the Armenians. On 24 June 2011 he was appointed Ordinary for the Catholic Armenian Faithful of Eastern Europe, with the assignment by the Holy Father of the titular see of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia of the Armenians and the title of Archbishop ad personam .

From 24 to 26 June 2016 he welcomed Pope Francis during his Apostolic Journey to Armenia.

Source: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2021/09/23/0593/01276.html