Armenia visit impresses Bishop

A week-long visit to Armenia left Bishop Howard J. Hubbard impressed by the people's "resiliency and vibrancy," despite centuries of persecution.

He was part of a delegation of U.S. Church officials who went to Armenia August 27-Sept. 3 at the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. Bishop Hubbard is chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops' Roman Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Dialogue.

One purpose of the visit was to take part in the 1,700th anniversary of the consecration of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, which Pope John Paul II visited in 2001.

Impressions

Bishop Hubbard told The Evangelist that the trip was "very moving, like a pilgrimage. The Armenian Apostolic Church has been subjected to suffering and persecution over the centuries, most recently by the Soviets."

When the Soviet Union took over Armenia in the 1920s, he said, there were more than 2,000 churches. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, only seven churches remained.

Nevertheless, Bishop Hubbard noted, "they kept their faith, although for 70 years the only opportunity to learn about their faith was from its being passed along from parent to child."

Genocide

The delegation laid a wreath at the Armenian Genocide Memorial, which recalls "the 1.5 million people who were killed in the early 20th century as a result of persecution by the leadership of what is now Turkey," the Bishop said.

He explained that Armenians are looking for "a healing of memories, to use the Pope's phrase. No one has formally acknowledged that the genocide took place. The devastation and harm was tremendous, and there has been no acceptance of responsibility for it."

Quake's devastation

Armenia also suffered from a natural disaster in 1988 when an earthquake killed tens of thousands.

The American delegation toured an orphanage being run by a Catholic nun, "who is caring for those orphaned by the earthquake or abandoned by their parents," Bishop Hubbard said. "She is doing a marvelous job."

Other Catholic stops included a meeting with the papal nuncio and the staff of Caritas, the Catholic charities office. It is working to end homelessness, poverty, domestic abuse and the isolation of the elderly, the Bishop said.

Meeting with Karekin

The bulk of the delegation's time was spent with representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, including Karekin II, whom the Bishop described as "very warm and gracious."

"I was impressed by his vision for reaching out to youth and catechizing his people after 70 years of atheistic communion," the Bishop said. "He has an understanding that the Church must respond to the whole person, not just to their faith but also to their social justice concerns."

Karekin II gave each bishop "a beautiful pectoral cross," Bishop Hubbard said. "It's a work of art that I will treasure. I will wear it at liturgical functions throughout our Diocese as a reminder of my visit, and of the need for ecumenical understanding and Christian unity, which the cross symbolizes."

Ecumenism

The American clergy also attended the ordination of two priests, which Bishop Hubbard described as being very much like a Roman Catholic ordination.

During their meetings, he said, the Roman Catholics and Apostolic Armenians spoke a lot "about reconciling our differences, both theologically and jurisdictionally."

Bishop Hubbard said that his week in Armenia left him with "a deep appreciation for the rich history and culture of the nation, and for the perseverance of their faith against overwhelming odds."

The country is "visibly ruined, and they have to rebuild from scratch," he said, "but there is a vibrancy and resiliency about the people that is admirable and inspirational."

(The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of six independent Oriental Orthodox churches that were divided from the rest of Christianity when they rejected the fifth-century Council of Chalcedon's description of how Christ was both human and divine. In 1996, the Roman Catholic Church reached agreement on the issue with all six Oriental Orthodox churches.)

(9/11/03) [[In-content Ad]]