Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located in the city dually known as Etchmiadzin and Vagharshapat, Armenia. It is usually considered the first cathedral built in ancient Armenia, and often regarded as the oldest cathedral in the world. Photo: Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. (Oct. 2024)

La cathédrale Sainte-Etchmiadzin est le plus ancien édifice chrétien arménien. Sa première construction date de 303, mais elle a été par la suite reconstruite en 484. Au cours des siècles suivants, l'édifice a été maintes fois remanié, et seuls les murs nord, sud et ouest datent du IVe siècle. Photo : Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. (Oct. 2024)

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Meeting to prepare materials for 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

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The international committee jointly sponsored by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) met at the historic spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, from 13 to 17 October, to finalise the texts and prayers for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026. The committee members were guests of the Inter-Church Relations Department of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which had drafted the materials in collaboration with local Catholic and Evangelical bodies.

The work of the Armenian drafting group had been completed during the days following the blessing of the Muron (holy oil) and the re-consecration of the Mother Cathedral, on 28 and 29 September 2024, following extensive renovations over ten years. This commemoration provided the drafting group with a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common Christian faith that remains alive and fruitful in the churches in Armenia today. The resources draw upon historic traditions of prayer and petitions used by the Armenian people, along with hymns that originated in the ancient monasteries and churches of Armenia, some of which date as far back as the fourth century. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 will offer Christians throughout the world the opportunity to draw upon this shared Christian heritage.

During their stay in Armenia, the members of the international committee had the opportunity to pray in the newly re-opened Mother Cathedral, as well as several other historic Armenian churches. On Monday 14 October, they visited and heard the testimonies of refugees displaced by the recent aggression against Armenian nationals in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). On Thursday 17 October, the committee was received in audience by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, after which they visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial.

The meeting was chaired jointly by the World Council of Churches programme executive for Spiritual Life and for Faith and Order, Revd Dr Mikie Roberts, and Fr Martin Browne OSB, official of the Western Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.

The previous meeting of the international committee, finalising the prayers and reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025, took place from 11 to 15 September 2023 in the Monastery of Bose in Italy.

Posted: Oct. 17, 2024 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=14473
Categories: News • In this article: Armenian, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, WPCU Transmis : 17 oct. 2024 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=14473
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : Armenian, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, WPCU