President sends congratulatory message to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia

President Serzh Sargsyan has sent a congratulatory message to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, on the renovation of the Bird’s Nest establishment and the foundation of the museum, as well as on the 20th anniversary of his enthronement as Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia and the Blessing Ceremony of the Holy Muron.

“For centuries, the Holy See of the Great House of Cilicia has fulfilled its sacred duty to God, to the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, to the Motherland and to all Armenians.

The 20 years of your pastorate have coincided with the crucial, hard and difficult years of building Armenia’s independence.

With your tireless service, your wisdom of a great patriot, a renowned scientist, a progressive armenologist and a prominent theologian you have led your pious flock around the through your complete devotion of a spiritual leader.

In this difficult century of globalization, your image conveys vigilance and strength to Armenian diaspora organizations and contributes to the preservation of Armenian national traditions by building bridges between different segments of Armenians to ensure the well-being of the faithful Armenian people, strengthen the firm triumvirate of Armenia, Artsakh and the diaspora, develop ties between the Armenian state and the church and realize our national goals.

Under your leadership, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia has also become a powerful center for the promotion of the Armenian Cause.

Among your numerous undertakings pertaining to the Armenian Genocide Centennial special importance has gained the efforts to consistently achieve the realization of the Armenian people’s rights.

Under your blessings and sponsorship, the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Bikfaya was renovated and improved, and the Martyrs Chapel housing remains from Deir ez-Zor was fully renovated. There is the astonishing Armenian Monastery in Bikfaya - a powerful institution designed to educate servants of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Owing to its alumni’s honest behavior and devotion, our diaspora compatriots succeed in being exemplary citizens in their countries of residence and remaining Armenians.

We are grateful to the Lebanese Republic and its hospitable people who created conditions for Armenians to find themselves and become a strong Armenian community.

The Armenian people can’t but remember with gratitude the missioners of good will, particularly the Danish missioner Maria Jacobsen, through whose efforts the Bird’s Nest was established. In a widespread ocean of death and slaughter, it became a unique lifebelt for hundreds of Armenian orphans. Today, this museum, the renovated and newly evaluated Bird’s Nest, is one of the best means to honor Maria Jacobsen’s memory.

This undertaking of Aleko and Ani Pezikyan, the great sons of the Armenian people, is not only a filial tribute to their father Aram Pezikyan, a six-year-old child who survived the genocide, but also the testimony to the extraordinary vitality of Armenians and their firm believe in life. Your undertakings held in Beirut during these days once again draw the world’s attention to the reality of the Armenian Genocide and to the need for the restoration of the Armenian people’s lawful rights.

May multiple Armenians be consecrated by your sacred right hand and the Holy Muron created through your patriarchal blessings to the glory of all Armenians and the Motherland!

May Heavenly Lord grant you a long and healthy life, inexhaustible energy and vigor to the glory of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people, in the interests of the Armenian Cause and the Armenian claims,” reads the RA president’s congratulatory message.