His Holiness Catholicos Aram I departs for pontifical visit to Canada and the United States
On Monday, October 13, 2025, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), departed on a Pontifical visit to Canada and the United States of America.
His Holiness’s Pontifical visit will embrace the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, as well as the Eastern and Western Prelacies of the United States. During this pontifical tour, His Holiness will successively visit Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Francisco, New York, New Jersey, and other regions.
His Holiness’s itinerary will include church services, meetings with community leadership, dialogue with the youth, inter-church meetings, lectures at universities, and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of His Holiness’s election and enthronement as Catholicos.
His Holiness Aram I is being accompanied from the Holy See by Very Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, head of the Catholicosate’s Information Department; Very Rev. Fr. Sarkis Abrahamian, staff-bearer and responsible for the Christian-Islamic Dialogue Department. He will be joined by and the Prelates of the three dioceses: H.E. Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, H.E. Archbishop Papken Tcharian, and H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, as well as H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, H.E. Archbishop Torkom Donoyan, and H.E. Bishop Dajad Ashekian, Chancellor of the Catholicosate.
The delegation for His Holiness’s visit to Canada will include Dr. Jirayr Basmajian and, for the Western Prelacy, the Co-Chairmen of the National Central Council, Mr. Krikor Mahseredjian and Mr. Stepan Der Bedrossian, and members Mr. Gaydzag Zeytlyan, Mr. Rosdom Aintablian, and Mr. Hratch Hagopian.
His Holiness Aram I will return to the Holy See on November 22, 2025.
This news was originally published on the Website of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, Antelias.