Armenian Church Representatives Elected to World Council of Churches Central Committee
12.03.2006
In the month of February, under the auspices of and with the Pontifical blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a high-ranking delegation of clergymen and laymen representing the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, attended the Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Leading the delegation was His Grace Bishop Yeznik Petrosian, Director of Inter-Church Relations for the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Assembly brought together member churches of the WCC to reaffirm their fellowship, engage in discussions and to take counsel with one another. The theme of the Assembly was "God, in Your Grace, transform the word."
The delegates for the Armenian Church were: His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand; His Grace Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern); His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada; Rev. Fr. Mkrtich Proshyan, Dean of the Vaskenian Theological Seminary at Lake Sevan (Armenia); Rev. Fr. Hovakim Manukian, Office Director of the Department for Inter-Church Relations, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Rev. Fr. Shahe Ananian, Staff Bearer to the Catholicos of All Armenians, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Rev. Fr. Vahram Melikyan, Director of Information Services, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Dr. Karen Nazaryan, Director of the Armenian Round Table Office (Armenia); Dr. Hacik Rafi Gazer, Director of the Theological Faculty Martin Luther University, Halle-Withenberg (Germany); Deacon Robert Tashjian, Youth Ministry from the Armenian Diocese of Egypt; Mrs. Paula Devejian, Director of Internet Development, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Miss Naira Martirossian, Project Manager, Armenian Ecumenical Resource Center (Armenia); Miss Gayane Alexanyan, Department for Inter-Church Relations, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Miss Lilit Antonyan, Secretary, Catholicosate of All Armenians; and Miss Izabel Genjian from the Armenian Diocese of Brazil who participated in the Assembly as a youth delegate. The delegation was one of the youngest Orthodox groups in attendance.
Members of the delegation took an active participation in the Assembly in many areas. Rev. Fr. Ananian attended the Youth Pre-Assembly and Mrs. Devejian attended the Women's Pre-Assembly. Abp. Aghan Baliozian served on the Assembly Committee for "Consensus Decision Making", which worked to implement a new procedural method of voting, which was adopted for the first time at the Assembly. Bp. Vicken Aikazian served on the Assembly "Message" Committee, which developed and presented a document that captured the experience and hopes of those gathered in Porto Alegre. Bp. Yeznik Petrosian was a Moderator during a 3-day workshop entitled "Emerging Forms of Ecumenism" as well as served on the assembly "Business Committee" which coordinated the daily business of the assembly. Rev. Fr. Proshyan presented a workshop entitled "Through the Creation to the Creator", which introduced a new concept of ecological education from a theological perspective referred to as "Green Theology". Dr. Nazarian presented a paper in one of the workshops entitled "HIV/AIDS - Involvement of clergy in counseling, stigma and discrimination", as well as served on the assembly nominating committee which was responsible for identifying candidates for the election of presidents and new members of the WCC Central Committee from among the delegates. Mrs. Devejian served on a leadership team in a three-day workshop entitled "Overcoming health threats to humanity in the context of HIV and AIDS", as well as spoke during the final general plenary session on the topic of "God in Your Grace, transform our societies". In addition to these activities, delegates attended specific regional, Orthodox, youth and women's issues meetings, as well as attended workshops on the Middle East and various lectures on subjects of importance to the world-wide Armenian Church.
During the business sessions, the assembly delegates accepted the strategic and planning activities for the upcoming seven years for the WCC, and presented a final general resolution. The Assembly also produced six communiquйs, related to Latin America, defense, the reconfiguration of the United Nations, water issues, terrorism and human rights, and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The final sessions were highlighted by new elections to the WCC. First was the election of the eight regional presidents of the WCC, representing the family of Christian Churches. Elected to represent the Oriental (Ancient) Orthodox Church family was His Holiness Abba Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
The same afternoon, the delegates elected a new Central Committee to serve for the next seven years. Elected to represent the Armenian Church and the Catholicosate of All Armenians were His Grace Bishop Aykazian (USA) and Mrs. Paula Devejian (Armenia).
On the final day of the Assembly, the Central Committee elected the new 20-member Executive Committee. Among those elected was His Grace Bishop Vicken Aykazian. Elected as the new Moderator for the WCC is Rev. Dr. Walter Altmann from the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB).
The Armenian Church delegates returned to Holy Etchmiadzin and their respective dioceses at the end of February.
