A visit of hope and reverence
By Vazken Movsesian
In this week's In Theory, Vazken Movsesian of St. Peter Armenian Church & Youth Ministries'' Center reflects on His Holiness Karekin II's visit to Glendale. Karekin II is the spiritual and administrative head of the Armenian Church, a position that is akin to that of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Regular In Theory contributors will return next week.
As a young Latina girl stood up to receive a blessing from His Holiness Karekin II, the staff at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles drew near to them. It didn't occur to her that this man had traveled halfway around the globe, from a landlocked country called Armenia, to be here. She looked at him with a warm smile, one that could have melted the coldest heart. But there was no need to soften anything or anyone that day.
Amid the disease and illness, hope and love radiated. And even though she didn't understand every word spoken by the Armenian pontiff, she knew exactly what was happening. Along with thousands of Southern Californians, she had been moved by the whisper of prayer and a personal blessing by a man of God.
Karekin II, the Catholicos of the Armenian Church is visiting his flock on the West Coast. He and his entourage of black-robed priests and bishops have been calling on churches, hospitals and schools. His message has been the same: thank God for the opportunities granted to you in America; live in harmony with your neighbors and remember your roots. It's a message that transcends ethnicity, social status and language.
His Holiness Karekin II is the spiritual and administrative head of the Armenian Church, which makes this visit especially significant. Southern California, and in particular the city of Glendale, is home to one of the largest concentrations of Armenians outside of Armenia. His title is Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. As the name implies, his office is both religious and national. It's a position that is akin to that of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, with the added responsibility of carrying national dreams and aspirations.
The Armenian Church is Apostolic, with a tradition that can be traced back 2,000 years to the time of Christ and his apostles. It was the Apostle Thaddeus who brought the Christian message of love and hope to Armenia in the first century. Later, he was joined by the Apostle Bartholomew.
These two ambassadors of life were part of the original group of 12 disciples who had been commissioned by Jesus to go to all lands and preach the Gospel. Just as Peter went to Rome and established the church there, it was Thaddeus who came to Armenia. And just as Benedict XVI is the successor of the Apostle Peter, Karekin II is the 142nd successor to the apostolic throne of Thaddeus and Bartholomew.
It was at the turn of the 4th century, however, when Gregory, called "the Illuminator," converted the Armenian king Tirtad to Christianity. By decree of the king, Armenia became the first nation to accept Christianity as a state religion in 301 A.D. Gregory brought structure to the Church and became the first "Catholicos" of the Armenian Church. The word "Etchmiadzin" literally means "descent of the only-begotten," in reference to Gregory's vision, where Jesus pointed to the site of the Armenian Church.
Until today, Etchmiadzin serves as the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is autonomous of any other church body and has its own ecclesiastical structure. Worldwide, there are churches in more than 40 countries. True to apostolic tradition, the Armenian Church has three main orders: bishops, priests and deacons. For unique and historical reasons, the Armenian Church also has another Catholicos in Lebanon, a Patriarch in the Holy City of Jerusalem and in Istanbul (Constantinople), each with distinct geographical jurisdictions. California is part of the Western Diocese, with its Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, who is hosting the Catholicos' visit.
Of the 7.5 million Armenians throughout the world, the vast majority have been baptized and confirmed in the Armenian Apostolic Church, making them spiritual members of the largest Armenian structure and the oldest Christian tradition.
The Catholicos represents the Armenian Church, the Holy See, Apostolic succession, and like all priests, the message of Jesus Christ. His highest calling is that of a Christian.
My ministry as a priest of the Armenian Church takes me to the youth. I work with kids who have issues with identity and self-respect. I see what intolerance and rejection can do to a person, and, even worse, to the community. The solutions that are presented to our youth by the well-meaning, but sometimes self-serving leadership, ushers in new situations, which can be more devastating than the original problems.
Today, materialism is giving our youth false hopes for tomorrow. The lure of wealth and the illusion of its easy acquisition is sending youth in an empty and futile search for happiness. Finally, violence -- whether on a video screen, on the street or on the battlefield -- is being accepted as the only means of conflict resolution.
To all of this, I thank God for Karekin II's visit. He comes with a message. It is a message of hope, of faith and of love. He is a living witness to the enduring power of good in the face of adversity and even death. For in fact, since Armenians embraced Christianity, they have rarely seen any time of peace. Intolerant and brutal neighboring nations have tried to impose their will and control over Armenians. The nation and people of Armenia have experienced wars, invasions and even an attempt at genocide in 1915, but continue to survive.
Perhaps the greatest legacy of this trip will be that of understanding.
Karekin II is here to understand the sufferings of his people, to give hope and bear witness to resurrection beyond suffering. Once criticized for wearing ornate vestments and gold jewelry while his people faced hunger and war, a 13th-century Catholicos removed his shirt to expose a burlap tunic against his body. He explained it was important that his people believe in the greater good, in the victory of good over evil, and therefore his outward appearance was necessary for the morale of the nation. But personally, against his body, the Catholicos felt the pain and suffering of his people.
Understanding works both ways, and this visit also brings understanding to the community at large. Many times in our zeal to express our personhood, we find reasons that separate us rather than those that bind us together. Our beautiful community is plagued by intolerance. Tensions flare over misunderstandings and miscommunications. Most of our problems can be resolved and overcome with a simple look at others -- to realize that we have more in common with one another than at difference.
As the head of the Armenian Church, he's here as a reminder of the past. The populations that have come to inhabit the Southland are here with a basic need for self-expression. Their homelands have been destroyed by the ravages of war, hatred and poverty. When we view a recent immigrant we are only looking at our own past -- our parents and grandparents -- who came to this country accepting the invitation inscribed on that great statue, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breath free...." In our understanding of the past, we learn to work in harmony with one another.
And so at every opportunity, at every juncture, whether with the students at Glendale High, with the patients at Memorial Hospital or with the caregivers at the new wing of Glendale Adventist Medical Center, His Holiness speaks with apostolic authority, asking for loyalty to and blessings on this great land of America. As for success and to conquer life's challenges, he gives a simple and basic formula of faith, hard work and love in the heart.
Our community has been touched by a man of God. He is the Armenian Catholicos with a universal message about a divine love. Now it's up to us to listen, react and move our life forward in peace and harmony.
