The Head of the UGCC expressed condolences over the death of the Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church

Friday, 28 May 2021, 18:24

On May 25, at the age of 87, His Beatitude Gregory Peter XX, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church, passed away. In a letter of condolence, His Beatitude Sviatoslav described the late patriarch as a good shepherd who became "the voice of his people."

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"We remember His Beatitude Gregory Peter XX as a good pastor who, despite his serious illness, devoted himself entirely to serving the Armenian Catholic Church. Together with his people, he had to overcome various difficulties and challenges, giving the world a wonderful testimony of faith in the risen Lord. His Beatitude Gregory became the true voice of his people, telling the world about their suffering," writes the Head of the UGCC.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav assured the clergy and the faithful of the Armenian Catholic Church in his prayers for the soul of the newly reposed Patriarch, "that the Lord may receive him into his heavenly home and honor him with participation in the feast of eternal joy."

Grigor Gabroyan was born on November 14, 1934 in Aleppo, Syria. He studied at the Patriarchal Seminary in Bzommar, Lebanon and then in Rome, at the Pontifical Armenian College. In 1976, he was appointed Apostolic Exarch for the faithful of the Armenian Rite in France, and after the exarchate was elevated to the level of the diocese in 1986, he became its first ruling bishop. After the death of His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church elected him the new Patriarch of Cilicia on July 25, 2015.

His Beatitude Gregory made many efforts for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide; he promoted and co-organized Pope Francis' visit to Armenia in 2016. The Armenian Catholic Church is a Church of its own right, born in 1742 of the Armenian National Church and received recognition from Pope Benedict XIV. The faithful of the Armenian Catholic Church are present in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Palestine and other countries of the Armenian diaspora. The Patriarch’s residence is located in Beirut.

The UGCC Department for Information