Catholicos to lead Indian Orthodox Church delegation on 100th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

HH Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, Catholicos of the East, will lead a delegation of the Indian Orthodox Church to Armenia from April 22-25, the Indian Orthodox Herald reports.

This will be the maiden visit of the Catholicos to Vagharshapat, Armenia and is upon an invitation from His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church

The Primate will be the official guest along with other dignitaries and leaders at the 100th anniversary of the slaughter of Armenians which will be commemorated on April 24, 2015. April 24 is the day when thousands of the Armenian community leaders of Constantinople (now Istanbul) were deported and mostly executed.

The Primate of the Indian Orthodox Church will be accompanied by a 5-member delegation. They include the Episcopal Synod Secretary Dr Mathews Mar Severios, Dr K M George, Director of Sopana Academy, clergymen in Fr Dr Jacob Kurien, Principal, OTS Orthodox Theological Seminary, OTS, and Fr Thomas Scaria.

The Catholicos will also lead the talks with His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia. The Armenian Apostolic Church is in communion with a group of churches within Oriental Orthodoxy.

It may be recalled that the Armenian Catholicos Aram I was conferred with the ‘Order of St Thomas’ in February 2010 at Kolenchery by LL Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Didymos I during his visit. ‘Order of St Thomas’ is the most prestigious honor by the Malankara Orthodox Church.

On the 100th anniversary of the slaughter of Armenians, Pope Francis had described the mass killing by the Ottoman Empire as “the first genocide of the 20th century.”

HH Baselios Marthoma Paulose II is also visiting Lebanon in July to personally meet Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia.