Saintly Patriarch Gregory Agagianian - whose Body Appears Incorrupt Since 1971 - Remains were Enshrined in Lebanon with Great Joy and Thousands Attending!

Patriarch Gregory Peter XV Agagianian; born Ghazaros Aghajanian, onSeptember 15th, 1895 and died on the16th of May 1971, was an Armenian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the head of the Armenian Catholic Church (as Patriarch of Cilicia) from 1937 to 1962 and supervised the Catholic Church's missionary work for more than a decade, until his retirement in 1970.

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 With great joy thousands gathered as the remains of the Servant of God, Cardinal Agagianian, a leading figure in the Church of the 20th century, have returned to Lebanon. Since 1971 they have been resting in the Church of Saint Nicolas of Tolentino, next to the Pontifical Armenian College in the heart of Rome, a few steps from the building of the Dicastery of Propagation of the Faith, of which he was Prefect from 1960 to 1970.

The flight from Rome-Fiumicino took off yesterday and arrived in Beirut in the evening. The welcoming ceremony was attended by Patriarch Minassian, the Lebanese Prime Minister Najīb ʿAzmī Mīqātī and various personalities from religion, political and civil society.
The remains were then taken by car to Martyrs' Square in the heart of the capital, where a solemn ceremony took place.

The Most Venerable and Most Merciful Raphael - Petros IA of the Catholic Armenians of Cilicia. The Minasian Catholicos-Patriarch in his speech said:

In the face of these difficult days and the dangers surrounding our beloved motherland, Lebanon, as well as the challenges faced by all parties, We assumed this heavy responsibility and brought the body of the Servant of God, Cardinal Aghachanian, to Lebanon. We brought the weapon here for a noble purpose. Despite being an Armenian, he is Lebanese and one of the leading personalities of Lebanon, who has received his diplomatic passport with an exceptional degree since 1943, the year of independence, and not only a passport, but also the "Mother" medal, which was awarded to the honorable president. Charles Hellouen. We brought weapons to Lebanon to show the whole world our solidarity, unity and mutual love between communities and all sides. Here is this panorama, which represents all the communities representing the Lebanese family, which now carry the casket on his 
body.
Yes, I believe in the promise of the Servant of God, when he said that I will help you from eternity, therefore, starting from the words of this honest, sincere and faithful man, I am sure, I am sure that he will mediate the right peace for this beloved homeland, as during his life he brought it to Lebanon.
Yes, Lebanon secured its confiscated rights and protected it, bringing peace and reconciliation to its children. Today, the united presence of all our communities here is a vivid proof of that reality. The proof of peace, for which we work for the benefit of political reconciliation, coexistence and solidarity.

In addition to thousands of people, civil and religious authorities were also present. The coffin was carried to the altar erected for the occasion by 12 young people representing the country's various denominations.  As the relics passed by, many reached out and tried to touch the coffin to ask for a blessing.
The initial prayers were followed by the screening of a documentary on the life of the Patriarch. A life, that of Agagianian, with singular features and with various connections that united this son of the Armenian people to what was once called the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, in the universal horizon of the mission entrusted by Christ to his Church.
Ghazaros Lazarus Agagianian was born in Akhaltisikhe (Georgia) on September 18, 1895 and went to Rome to study as a priest at the age of 11. At the age of just 42, he was appointed Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia. Pope Pius XII made him a Cardinal in 1946. John XXIII entrusted him with the office of Pro-Prefect and then Prefect of the then Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He was the first Prefect to personally visit the missions in Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Agagianian also played an important role during the Second Vatican Council as Moderator and President of the Commission for the Missions.
"In these difficult days and in the face of the dangers that surround Lebanon, we decided to bring the remains of the Servant of God here for as purpose, to show the world that we live our cohesion, solidarity and mutual love between the confessions and all parties. That is why it was 12 young people, representing our people, who brought the casket here to the altar," said the Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church, Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian.
"I ask God and his servant Agagianian to look at each of us and guide us in these difficult days that we are going through. Let us take the initiative of national and political reconciliation so that our homeland, Lebanon, can regain its beauty," concluded Minassian.

At the end of the nearly two-hour ceremony, the Cardinal's body was carried in procession to the Armenian Catholic Cathedral, where it was interred in a new crypt.  (Sources Agenzia Fides, 13/9/2024)
https://armeniancatholic.org