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This is a basic reference to give the readership some background regarding the makeup of the Armenian Church. This also explains why there are some differences between Karekin II and Mesrob.
1. 85-90 % of Armenians nominally belong to the Apostolic-Gregorian-Orthodox Church (or simply stated, the Armenian Church).
2. The rest are nominally Armenian Catholics (a uniate church with services similar to the Armenian Church, but with allegiance to the Pope) or Armenian Protestants.* Some Armenians belong to other Christian denominations.
3. Non-believers or agnostics are counted in the above following the*affiliation*(real or assumed) of their parents or grandparents.
4. The Armenian Church has two sees or patriarch seats, one in Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia, with the current Catholicos Karekin II having the official title Catholicos of All Armenians: the other is headquartered in Antelias, Lebanon, current Catholicos Aram I, with the official title Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia because the residence was in Sis (now Kozan) in the O.E, from the 13th century until the Genocide.* The Catholicoses/Catholicoi are equal in power and jurisdiction even though traditionally Etchmiadzin for historical reasons is considered the Mother Church.
5. There is absolutely no doctrinal difference between the two sees, simply a jurisdictional one, which is rather complicated, but briefly the jurisdictions are as follows:
See of Etchmiadzin: Armenia, all former Soviet Republics, almost all of Europe, including France and England, much of South America, and 2/3 of the churches in the U.S. and Canada, Egypt, and Iraq.
See of Cilicia: Lebanon, Syria (except Damascus), Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Iran and India, Kuwait and the Gulf, 1/3 of the churches in the U.S. and Canada, and some churches in South America.
The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul seems to be more used now) and the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem are nominally under the authority of the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin, but in reality have a great deal of independence.* The first has jurisdiction over the*
Armenian churches in Turkey, now reduced essentially to those in Istanbul, still over 30 and a few in the Eastern provinces where there are small pockets of Armenians.* Theoretically, he should have control over the thousands of Armenian churches in Turkey, 90 per cent in ruins.* The second, The Patriarch of Jerusalem has jurisdiction over the various Armenian churches and properties in the Holy Land and resides in the Patriarchate, a large part of the historic Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem; it still has an active seminary for priests, which of course the Patriarch in Istanbul is not allowed to have.
Armenian clergy are of two varieties,*married and*celibate.* Married*priests are usually parish priests; they can never ascend to the higher ranks of the clergy (bishop, archbishop, patriarch or catholicos) and they must be married when ordained priests.* Celibate priests graduate from a seminary and become, at ordination to the rank of abegh then vardapet/vartabed (by writing a thesis), members of the order of their seminary.* There are three active orders: the Brotherhood of Etchmiadzin, the Brotherhood of Cilicia, and the Brotherhood of Jerusalem (now producing fewer and fewer priests).* There is a St. Nercess Seminary in New York state affiliated with Holy Ethcmiadzin.*
The catholicoi have certain privileges that the two Patriarchs do not have (at least in recent history): the blessing of the Holy Oil or Muron and the Consecration of bishops.
The catholicoi enjoy fraternal relations with each other, though they do not always agree on things, and with the patriarchs, even though again disputes over certain*questions occur regularly as they do in any church or any religious hierarchy.
Election of the catholicos (a lifetime post) in either Holy Etchmiadzin or in Antelias is conducted within a few months of the death of a catholicos.* Contrary to the Roman Catholic Church, the electoral Assembly is made of a large majority of lay persons (2/3) and a minority of upper clergy (1/3).* Lay representatives are chosen by regional diocesan boards.* The Patriarch of Jerusalem is elected by the clergy of the Brotherhood gathered in an assembly on the death of the previous Patriarch.* The Patriarch of Constantinople is in a very strange situation, because the Turkish government must approve the election conducted by a local assembly of lay and clergy.
Like any venerable institution, in the case of the Armenian Church with a 1700 year old history, it has a record of disputes, conflicts, jurisdictional changes, doctrinal differences, political influence, corruption, but also a remarkable record of spiritual and cultural achievement. As the longest continuously surviving Armenian national institution it has more than just a religious meaning to most Armenians.
1. 85-90 % of Armenians nominally belong to the Apostolic-Gregorian-Orthodox Church (or simply stated, the Armenian Church).
2. The rest are nominally Armenian Catholics (a uniate church with services similar to the Armenian Church, but with allegiance to the Pope) or Armenian Protestants.* Some Armenians belong to other Christian denominations.
3. Non-believers or agnostics are counted in the above following the*affiliation*(real or assumed) of their parents or grandparents.
4. The Armenian Church has two sees or patriarch seats, one in Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia, with the current Catholicos Karekin II having the official title Catholicos of All Armenians: the other is headquartered in Antelias, Lebanon, current Catholicos Aram I, with the official title Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia because the residence was in Sis (now Kozan) in the O.E, from the 13th century until the Genocide.* The Catholicoses/Catholicoi are equal in power and jurisdiction even though traditionally Etchmiadzin for historical reasons is considered the Mother Church.
5. There is absolutely no doctrinal difference between the two sees, simply a jurisdictional one, which is rather complicated, but briefly the jurisdictions are as follows:
See of Etchmiadzin: Armenia, all former Soviet Republics, almost all of Europe, including France and England, much of South America, and 2/3 of the churches in the U.S. and Canada, Egypt, and Iraq.
See of Cilicia: Lebanon, Syria (except Damascus), Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Iran and India, Kuwait and the Gulf, 1/3 of the churches in the U.S. and Canada, and some churches in South America.
The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul seems to be more used now) and the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem are nominally under the authority of the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin, but in reality have a great deal of independence.* The first has jurisdiction over the*
Armenian churches in Turkey, now reduced essentially to those in Istanbul, still over 30 and a few in the Eastern provinces where there are small pockets of Armenians.* Theoretically, he should have control over the thousands of Armenian churches in Turkey, 90 per cent in ruins.* The second, The Patriarch of Jerusalem has jurisdiction over the various Armenian churches and properties in the Holy Land and resides in the Patriarchate, a large part of the historic Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem; it still has an active seminary for priests, which of course the Patriarch in Istanbul is not allowed to have.
Armenian clergy are of two varieties,*married and*celibate.* Married*priests are usually parish priests; they can never ascend to the higher ranks of the clergy (bishop, archbishop, patriarch or catholicos) and they must be married when ordained priests.* Celibate priests graduate from a seminary and become, at ordination to the rank of abegh then vardapet/vartabed (by writing a thesis), members of the order of their seminary.* There are three active orders: the Brotherhood of Etchmiadzin, the Brotherhood of Cilicia, and the Brotherhood of Jerusalem (now producing fewer and fewer priests).* There is a St. Nercess Seminary in New York state affiliated with Holy Ethcmiadzin.*
The catholicoi have certain privileges that the two Patriarchs do not have (at least in recent history): the blessing of the Holy Oil or Muron and the Consecration of bishops.
The catholicoi enjoy fraternal relations with each other, though they do not always agree on things, and with the patriarchs, even though again disputes over certain*questions occur regularly as they do in any church or any religious hierarchy.
Election of the catholicos (a lifetime post) in either Holy Etchmiadzin or in Antelias is conducted within a few months of the death of a catholicos.* Contrary to the Roman Catholic Church, the electoral Assembly is made of a large majority of lay persons (2/3) and a minority of upper clergy (1/3).* Lay representatives are chosen by regional diocesan boards.* The Patriarch of Jerusalem is elected by the clergy of the Brotherhood gathered in an assembly on the death of the previous Patriarch.* The Patriarch of Constantinople is in a very strange situation, because the Turkish government must approve the election conducted by a local assembly of lay and clergy.
Like any venerable institution, in the case of the Armenian Church with a 1700 year old history, it has a record of disputes, conflicts, jurisdictional changes, doctrinal differences, political influence, corruption, but also a remarkable record of spiritual and cultural achievement. As the longest continuously surviving Armenian national institution it has more than just a religious meaning to most Armenians.
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