Armenian Catholic Church

The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic church sui juris within the Catholic Church. Its headquarters are in Bzoummar, Lebanon. The union was established in the Council of Florence, in 1439. During the Armenian Genocide (1915-1918), its followers were scattered, mainly to Syria and Lebanon. Many Armenians also fled to Georgia and Ukraine.

Headquarters of the church, in Bzoummar.

In 1991, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Pope John Paul II merged the churches in Georgia and Ukraine with those in Armenia. He created a new eparchy of Armenia and Eastern Europe. There is a seminary in Gyumri, the largest city in Armenia. Meanwhile, e Catholic Armenians in Georgia de facto entered the newly-formed diocese.The city of Gyumri was chosen because most Catholic Armenians live in the north of the country.

Many Armenians emigrated to the United States and Canada, mainly in the 1970s. For that reason, Pope Benedict XVI created a diocese for those people. It is responsible for about 35.000 people in the United States and about 10.000 in Canada.

The church uses the Armenian Rite and the Armenian language for its services.

The current Patriarch of the church is Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni.

Related pages

• Armenian Apostolic Church

Other websites

• Official web site
• Armenian Apostolic Church Library