New Primate Appointed for the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand

H.G. Bishop Haykazun Najarian

Etchmiadzin, December 05, 2012: By Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Grace Bishop Haykazun Najarian, has resigned his service as the Pontifical Legate of Central Europe and Sweden, and as of 1 January, 2013 His Grace will serve as the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Australian and New Zealand.

His Grace Bishop Haigazun Najarian (baptismal name Vrej) was born in 1952, in Aleppo, Syria.

He received his primary education at the Vahan Tekeyan Elementary School in Beirut, and graduated in 1964. He continued his education in the Hovakimian-Manoukian secondary school in Beirut and graduated in 1967.

He entered the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1967 and graduated in 1973. In 1973 he successfully defended his thesis entitled "Mkhitar Gosh; Interpretation of the Prophet Yeremia".

In 1973, in Holy Etchmiadzin, he was ordained to the diaconate by His Eminence Archbishop Husik Santurian, and in 1975, at the St. Sarkis Church in London, he was ordained as a celibate priest by His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian.

From 1973 to 1974 he worked as a secretary in the Chancellery of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

He continued his higher education at the St. Augustine of Canterbury School in England where he studied Pastoral Theology from 1974 to 1975. In 1975 he continued his education at the King’s College in London and graduated in 1978. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology (BD).

From 1978 to 1979 he studied at the St. Andrews School in Scotland. From 1979 to 1981 he served as the Spiritual Pastor of the St. Peter Church in London.

Returning to Armenia in 1981 he served as the Assistant Dean and Professor of New Testament and History of the Universal Church at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary until 1986.

In 1983, he presented and successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled "The Origin of the Monastic Movement in Armenia" and received the rank of Archimandrite at the St. Mesrop Church of Oshakan by His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian.

In 1986, he defended his doctoral thesis entitled "The Rules of St. Barsegh Kesaratsi" and received the rank of Senior Archimandrite at St. Mesrop Church of Oshakan by His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian.

By the order of His Holiness Karekin I of blessed memory he was appointed to serve as the Vicar General for the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America and served in that position from 1986-1988. From1988 to 1991 he served as the Spiritual Pastor of the Church of St. Stepanos in New Jersey. In 1991, he returned to serve at the headquarters of the Eastern Diocese and was reappointed to serve as the Vicar General until 1995.

While serving in New York, he entered the University of Columbia in 1992 and graduated in 1993, receiving a Masters degree (MA) in History.

From 1995 to 1999 by the Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, he returned to Armenia and served as the Dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, and as professor of New Testament of the Seminary.

He returned to the United States in 2000, and served as the spiritual pastor of the St. Sarkis Armenian Church of Dallas, Texas, until 2002. In 2002 he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and served as the pastor of the St. Sahak and St. Mesrop Church in Philadelphia until 2007. He concurrently served as the Vicar General of the Eastern Diocese, ending his service as Vicar General in 2010.

He moved to Sweden in 2010, and by Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, served as Pontifical Legate of Central Europe and Sweden until December 2012.

On 6 November, 2011 he was consecrated as a Bishop by His Holiness Karekin II, in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Source: Information Services of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

Condolence Letter on the Passing of His Beatitude Ignatius IV

Etchmiadzin, December 07, 2012: On 7 December, 2012, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, sent a letter of condolence addressed to the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, the clergy, and the pious faithful, on the passing of His Beatitude Ignatius IV, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East.

The Pontifical letter of Condolence stated in part: "His Beatitude courageously served the Church in Syria throughout his lifetime and exemplified strong Christian leadership especially during the crises currently facing the Middle East.

Through the efforts of Patriarch Ignatius, significant progress was made towards fostering and renewing the Orthodox youth ministry, new theological faculties were inaugurated and the ecumenical and inter-religious dialogues were promoted, which nurtured a renewal in the spiritual life of the Patriarchate of Antioch.

We honor the dignified and determined spirit with which he approached his role as a shepherd and guide for Middle Eastern Christians in all aspects of life.

We pray that God eternal receives the soul of the blessed Patriarch in His Heavenly Kingdom and ask the Almighty also to grant peace to the people of Syria during these difficult days of political instability and civil war."

Source:
Information Service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

Metropolitan Esper named interim patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch

Esper serves in southern Syria

BEIRUT,December 08, 2012: Metropolitan Saba Esper was elected Friday as temporary successor to the late Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim.

The appointment came during a meeting at Balamand monastery in Koura, North Lebanon. Esper currently serves as the metropolitan of three southern provinces of Syria: Hawran, Jabal al-Arab and the Golan.

Source:The Daily Star

Metropolitan Mar Bernabas Mathews Enters Eternal Rest

H.E Mathews Mar Bernabas

Kottayam (Kerala, India): Former metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church, H.E Mathews Mar Bernabas, has died in the Pushpagiri hospital in Kerala on Sunday, December 09, 2012. He was 88.

H.E. Mathews Mar Barnabas (K K Mathews) was born at Vengola in the ditrict of Ernakulam in Kerala,on August 9, 1924. He studied Biology at Madras Christian College and while he served the parish in Secunderabad he did his masters in Botany in Osmania University, India.
In 1951 Metropolitan Augen Mar Thimotheos (His Holiness Catholicos Baselios Augen I), ordained him to the priesthood. H.H. Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I consecrated him as a bishop and appointed as assistant bishop of the Ankamali and Kottayam Dioceses on May 15, 1978. In 1982 he was appointed as the metropolitan of the newly formed Idikki Diocese. In 1992, H.E. Mathews Mar Barnabas was appointed the diocesan metropolitan for American Diocese.
On January 18, 2011, His Holiness Baselius Mar Thoma Paulose II, the Catholicos of The East, accepted H.E. Mathews Mar Barnabas' request to be relieved from administrative responsibilities as diocesan metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese.

Hazim's Funeral Held in Beirut as He Will Be Laid to Rest in Damascus

Hundreds attended the funeral service at the Ashrafieh church in honor of the 92-years old patriarch.

The delegation of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch offers
prayers for the departed Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim

Beirut: The funeral of the late Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East Ignatius IV Hazim was be held in Beirut on Sunday ahead of being laid to rest in Damascus, Syria.

The funeral was held at noon at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district and attended by a number of politicians, including Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

Hazim's coffin was then transferred to the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus where it will be put on display until Monday afternoon when it will be buried at the cathedral's graveyard.

Hazim passed away on Wednesday after suffering a stroke.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Sunday as an official day of mourning for the patriarch.

The patriarch’s passing has been described by President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati and most of the Lebanese parties as a loss for Lebanon and the region, and he was praised for believing and maintaining the principle of coexistence. He was dubbed as a man of moderation by Lebanese officials.

Hazim, who served 33 years as patriarch, was born in the village of Mhardeh near Hama in Syria in 1920. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1961, and was elected as the Metropolitan of the Latakia province in Syria in 1970.
Hazim was chosen to become Antioch's 157th patriarch on July 2, 1979.

Patriarch Ignatius Hazim of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and all the East Dies in Beirut

Beirut,6 December 2012: The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East announced that on Wednesday,5 December 2012, His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim of Syria, the long-time leader of the second-largest Christian church in the Middle East and one of the oldest in the world, died in Beirut at the age of 92. His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius Hazim’s funeral will be held Sunday at 12 p.m at Mariameh Cathedral and Patriarchate Cemetery, Damascus. Services will also be held at St Nicholas Church in Beirut.

The Patriarch Ignatius, who was born on 28 August 1921, died in Beirut’s St George Hospital University Medical Centre on Wednesday morning after suffering a stroke. Ignatius Hazim led the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East, since 1979.The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East is one of 14 autocephalous churches under the Orthodox communion. It counts around a million members, the majority of them Christians in Syria. The country’s 1.8-million-strong Christian community has stayed on the sidelines of the nearly 21-month conflict against the régime of President Bashar al-Assad. Lebanon, which has a large Greek Orthodox community, declared the patriarch’s funeral a national day of mourning.

His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) was born in 1920 in the village of Muharda, near the city of Hama Syria. In 1936, he moved to Beirut, where he became an altar server. Years later, upon taking monastic vows, he became a hierodeacon. In 1945 he graduated from the American University of Beirut, and from 1949 to 1953 studied at the Saint Sergius Theological Institute in Paris. On his return to Lebanon, the young theologian with a master's degree was ordained hieromonk. In 1942, he became one of the founders of the influential Orthodox Youth Movement in Lebanon and Syria, which has done much to renew youthful participation in Church life. In 1953, His Beatitude became one of the organizers of Syndesmos the worldwide Brotherhood of Orthodox Youth. In 1961 he was ordained Bishop of Palmyra and Patriarchal Vicar, and in the following year, he was sent to the monastery of Balamand as superior and as dean of the Theological Seminary founded, which in 1988 was transformed into an Orthodox University, the first in the Middle East. He has published a series of theological books and numerous articles. His Beatitude is an honorary doctor of Sorbonne and Saint-Petersburg (1981) and Minsk (2003) Theological Academies. In 1970, the future Patriarch was appointed Metropolitan of Latakia (Laodicea). On 2 July 1979, he was elected Primate of the Church of Antioch. on 8 July of the same year, under the name of Ignatius IV, he enthroned the Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, the third ranking hierarch of the Orthodox Church after the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Alexandria.

His death was reported to and published exclusively via the Syrian state news agency SANA. Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch did not support the Syrian rebel uprising of 2011-2012 and called for a peaceful political dialogue.

Patriarch Antonios of Eritrea: An Icon of St. Paul in Chains

His Holiness Abune Antonios - Patriarch
of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewhado Church

The rightful occupant of the Episcopal throne of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewhado Church is widely known to have been unlawfully detained in an undisclosed location within the general confines of Amasra, Eritrea for approximately 7 years and an uncanonical claimant has been occupying the Patriarchal throne. Reliable sources have indicated that while His Holiness is of delicate health due to a lack of proper medical care, his spirits remain high and his faith unshaken in response to a dedicated and fruitful prayer life.

His Holiness is viewed as a true icon of St. Paul who is depicted as a prisoner in chains in the books of Philemon 1:1, Ephesians 3:1 and especially in 2 Timothy 1:8 where he asks Timothy not to be ashamed of his imprisonment, but to join him in his suffering for the Gospel. In this manner of faithful resolve, His Holiness Antonios is steadfast and endures his suffering without complaint or ill words toward those who detain him just as St. Paul instructed his captors rather than criticizing them. This is why His Holiness is a living icon of St. Paul in Chains and establishes his rightful claim to the Episcopal Throne of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewhado Church and explains why most of the faithful continue to view His Holiness as the rightful leader of the Eritrean Church and continue to advocate for his well being while praying for his eventual return.

His Holiness is currently 87 years old and suffers greatly from decimating and debilitating effects of advanced diabetes. It is important to recognize that the major concern of the Eritrean faithful is the unattended medical condition of their spiritual leader, which makes their concern a humanitarian matter rather than a political or church matter. According to Article 3 of the Geneva Convention it is stated that as a minimum, the wounded or sick should be collected and cared for and this is based upon recognition of the moral and ethical treatment of another human who is suffering or in the involuntary care of another party. Article 3 of the Geneva Convention also indicates that all prisoners of conflict should be treated humanely and protected from “outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment…,” which denial of appropriate medical treatment, religious observance and human companionship may be so characterized.

The irony of the situation is that His Holiness is not a prisoner of war, a combatant, an enemy, a political or military threat; nor a bearer of arms against a sovereign nation. Nevertheless, according to reliable internal sources, he is being denied one of the most basic of human rights, which is necessary medical care in response to a well known disease that is undoubtedly exacerbated by advanced age resulting in steadily declining health and well being, which failing medical and humanitarian intervention will ultimately result in the unfortunate death of a humble and faithful human being. Remarkably, the aforementioned information sources have indicated that despite his declining health Patriarch Antonios is always in good spirits and remains in prayer for his captors, as well as for his spiritual children of his beloved Eritrean Orthodox Tewhado Church.

This behavior is reminiscent of St. Paul during his period of captivity and is the basis for His Holiness being considered an icon of St. Paul in Chains. The chains by which he is bound are as much spiritual as they are physical because they restrict His Holiness Antonios from exercising his spiritual leadership over what has become a widely disbursed church with members in many countries outside of their homeland who still look to their patriarch for spiritual guidance and reassurance.

The faithful priests, deacons, religious and faithful of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewhado Church which is in Diaspora on many shores request your prayerful support in advocating for the humane treatment and appropriate respect for His Holiness, Patriarch Antonios and that of the worldwide community of faith. For more information on the plight of Patriarch Antonios and to sign the petition for his return please follow our link to Support Patriarch Antonios.

Thursday, 01 March 2012

+Metropolitan Scholarios-Gennadius III, OSB
Protohierarch
Œcumenical Canonical Orthodox Church Worldwide
bpscholarios@yahoo.com

Source: The Global Herald/Asmarino Independent

Robo Calls to Asmara: Pray for Prisoners of Conscience and Refugees

Arbi Harnet

Asmara, 30 November, 2012: Thousands of calls were received by Asmara residents yesterday afternoon, reminding people to pull together in solidarity with prisoners and refugees and particularly His Holiness Abune Antonios the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, who disappeared in 2005, on the occasion of Hidar Tsion, the feast of St Mary.

The calls were initiated and coordinated by a diaspora based, youth campaign Arbi Harnet (freedom Friday), that has made around 50,000 similar calls over the last 12 months. 5000 out of 6800 (73%) calls were delivered successfully and a number of follow up one-to-one calls for all those who requested further information were also made, by members of the team.

The robo messages and one-to-one calls all encouraged people to congregate in the compound of St Mary’s Church (Enda Mariam), and pray for prisoners of conscience and refugees.

These calls were made possible through donations from a number of Eritreans including a significant amount received from St. Athanasius Charitable Society (SACS); an Eritrean human rights charity committed to religious freedom.

Messages were received positively by Asmara residents and reports reaching the campaign team indicate that there were significantly more people at the service in the main Church of St Mary’s in Asmara. Coordinators of the initiative said: ‘our main objective is to call people to make a communal response to what has become an unimaginably common occurrence in Eritrea’.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=1lhwNAOGR6o&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1lhwNAOGR6o&gl=GB

Notes :

1. Having gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1991, today Eritrea is daubed Africa’s North Korea owing to the appalling human rights records there. In June the UN Human Rights Council agreed to appoint a Special Rapporteur to look into the human rights violations perpetrated by the regime.
2. ArbiHarnet (Feedom Friday) is an initiative coordinated by Eritrean youth in the diaspora with the aim of narrowing the gulf between the resistance to the government of Eritrea in the diaspora and inside the country.
3. One of the objectives of the initiative is to encourage Eritreans inside the country to indentify communal responses to the dictatorship that has caused thousands of Eritreans to become refugees and prisoners.
4. ArbiHanet is an inspired by the Arab Spring Revolutions, and works to inspire the Eritrean public to rise up in a similar act of defiance against injustice in Eritrea.
5. Please contact ArbiHarnet on: arbiharnet@gmail.com

Source:

Asmarino Independent