26 July, 2015

The election procedure of the 20^th Patriarch of Armenian Catholic Church took place at the Patriarchal Seat, Bzommar, from 14 to 25 July, 2015. The balloting took 12 days, and finally, on the 25 July, the Synod elected the bishop Kaproian to be the Catholicos Patriarch. Kaproian accepted the divine call and took the name “Gregor Petros XX”.

The newly elected Patriarch was born on 14 November, 1934, in Aleppo, Syria. He got the secondary schooling in the seminary of Bzommar, then went to Rome to get religious education at Levonian College taking courses of philosophy and theology at Gregorian University.

Kaproian was ordained to priesthood on 28 March 1959.

From 1962 to 1969 he was the rector of the College Mesropian, then-from 1969 to 1975-the rector of Bzommar Seminary also holding the position of the secretary of the Executive Council of Bzommar monastery.

In 1976 the Holy See appointed Kaproian as the leader of Armenian Catholics of France. On 13 February, 1977 he was ordained bishop by the Catholicos Patriarch Hmayak Petros XVII. Kaproian served on the position of the Bishop of the Armenian Catholics of France up until 2013.

From 25 June 2015 the Bishop Emeritus of France Kaproian holds the position of the Patriarchal Administrator of Armenian Catholics of the House of Cilicia. He organized the burial ceremony of Nerses Petros XIX, and also-the election procedure of the new patriarch.

The ceremony of the enthronization of the newly elected Catholicos Patriarch will take place in Bzommar Monastery, at 17:00 by the Lebanese time, on 9 August, 2015.

According to the Canon 77 of the Codex of Eastern Catholic Churches, newly elected patriarch can take on his responsibilities only after the enthronization.

According to Radio Vatican,

Pope Francis has sent a message of congratulations to the his Beatitude Gregor Petros XX.

In the message Pope Francis expresses his joy at the Patriarch’s election and the hope that his new ministry will bear many fruits. The Holy Father also grants his Beatitude the “Ecclesiastical Communion” which the newly elected Patriarch requested in an earlier letter as required by the Codex.

The Pope notes in the message that his election comes at a time when the Armenian church is confronted with various difficulties and challenges.

Pope Francis refers to the terrible ordeals that some Armenian Catholics in the Middle East are facing.

But he adds that “illuminated by the light of faith in the risen Christ, our vision of the world is full of hope and mercy, because we are certain that the Cross of Jesus is the tree that gives life”.

The Holy Father also writes that he is sure his Beatitude along with the Venerable Synod Fathers will be guided by the Holy Spirit to be the Good Shepherds to those People of God entrusted to them.