July 19, 2005

At the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and a small delegation of Episcopalians visited the Church in Armenia in early July.

"Centered in Yerevan, the delegation's mission was to celebrate more than a century of friendly relations between the two churches, to experience the contemporary reality of the Armenian Church in the post-Soviet era, and to explore new areas of potential partnership in the Gospel for the 21st century," said Bishop Christopher Epting, the Presiding Bishop's deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations.

Since the church dates from the 4th century, Armenia is recognized as the world's ‘first Christian nation.'

The Presiding Bishop's visit included time with church and civic leaders, and prayer at Armenia's genocide memorial that recalls the mass killings of 1915.

In addition to Epting, Griswold was accompanied by the Rev. Peter Casparian, rector of Christ Church, Oyster Bay, in the Diocese of Long Island; the Rev. Canon J. Robert Wright, professor of ecclesiastical history at the General Theological Seminary and canon historian for the Episcopal Church; and Barbara Braver, the Presiding Bishop's assistant for communication.

A reflection of the visit, offered by Bishop Epting, is printed below and available at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_63710_ENG_HTM.htm.

A photo gallery, including the full text of a prayer Griswold offered while visiting the genocide memorial in Armenia, can be found online at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_63619_ENG_HTM.htm.

Digital photos and an audio stream of Griswold's experiences can be found online at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_63622_ENG_HTM.htm.

A Podcast in development

As ENS continues to explore new communication tools and technologies, future podcasts of news, events and items of interest will be offered online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ens/. Meanwhile, the Presiding Bishop's narration in MP3 format can be downloaded at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_63622_ENG_HTM.htm.

A "podcast" is an audio files, most commonly in MP3 format, made available online in a way that allows software to automatically download the files for listening at the user's convenience. Further information about podcasting can be found online at: http://www.apple.com/podcasting/.

Presiding Bishop visits ‘first Christian nation'
By Christopher Epting

At the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, and a small delegation, visited the Church in Armenia July 4-9, 2005.

Centered in Yerevan, the delegation's mission was to celebrate over a century of friendly relations between the two churches, to experience the contemporary reality of the Armenian Church in the post-Soviet era, and to explore new areas of potential partnership in the Gospel for the 21st century.

After an initial audience with the Catholicos, the delegation visited the monasteries of St. Gayane and St. Hripsime as well as Khor Virab where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for some thirteen years. The lives and witness of saints and martyrs led to Armenia becoming the first Christian nation in the world in 301 A.D.

"I have been profoundly moved by the faithfulness of this ancient church which has survived centuries of martyrdom and subjugation to foreign governments," stated Bishop Griswold. "Even through the darkest days it has managed to endure, sustained by the power of Christ's resurrection. Its unwavering sense of tradition has given it the capacity to adjust itself to the realities of the present moment with a graceful and open-hearted confidence." The Presiding Bishop laid a wreath and offered a prayer at Tzitzernakaberd, the memorial to martyrs of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Turks in 1915. After that, Bishop Griswold answered questions posed to him by a large youth group in Yerevan.

The Presiding Bishop welcomed ongoing theological dialogue between Anglicans and the Oriental Orthodox churches, noting particularly the Agreed Statement on Christology reached by the Anglican – Oriental Orthodox International Commission in November 2002. "Its articulation of the perfect union of divinity and humanity in the incarnate Word is consistent with the teaching of the Episcopal Church," he said.

As a follow-up to the visit, the delegation hopes to encourage joint mission trips for youth and young adults from both churches engaging either in the very successful Habitat for Humanity program in Armenia or to assist in the rebuilding of historic churches and monasteries which had fallen into disrepair during the Communist era. There will also be action to encourage the United States government to recognize formally the genocide of 1915 so that a process of genuine healing can begin for Armenians and Turks alike.

In addition to the Presiding Bishop, members of the Episcopal Church's delegation were Barbara Braver, assistant to the Presiding Bishop for communication; the Rev. Peter Casparian, rector of Christ Church, Oyster Bay, in the Diocese of Long Island; Bishop Christopher Epting, the Presiding Bishop's deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations; and the Rev. Canon J. Robert Wright, professor of ecclesiastical history at the General Theological Seminary and canon historian for the Episcopal Church.

Their hosts included His Holiness Karekin II; Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate to the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, USA; Bishop Navasard Kchoyan, vicar of the Araratian Diocese in Yerevan; and Bishop Yeznik Petrossian, general secretary for inter-church relations of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadsin.

Episcopal News Service
Bishop Christopher Epting is the Presiding Bishop's deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations.