Hovhannes Bedros XVIII Kasparian, I.P.C.B. (in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

Յովհաննէս Պետրոս ԺԸ Գասպարեան)

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: John Petros XVIII Kasparian, French: Jean Pierre XVIII Kasparian (20 January 1927 – 16 January 2011) was the

Armenian Catholic Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

Catholicos Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...

- Patriarch of Cilicia from 1982-98 when he retired. He died in 2011.

Biography

He was born in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

and began his studies in 1943 at the

Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar The Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar (french: Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar) is an Armenian Catholic religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distingu ...

. In 1946 he studied Philosophy and Theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1952 and was vice-president of the ''Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar'' and taught at Levonian School in Rome until 1957 when he was named as head of the Egyptian Armenian Catholic community. He was ordained as archbishop in 1972 and became Archbishop of Baghdad of the Armenian Catholic Church in Iraq starting 25 February 1973. He was elected as the Catolicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church in a synod meeting on 5 August 1982. The official ceremony was held in Bzommar, Lebanon on 12 September 1982. He ruled in difficult times of the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

and its aftermath. After the declaration of the independence of Armenia, he also established a bishopric for the Armenian Catholics in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and its Armenian region of

Javakheti Javakheti ( ka, ჯავახეთი ) or Javakhk ( hy, Ջավախք, ''Javakhk'') is a historical province in southern Georgia, corresponding to the modern municipalities of Akhalkalaki, Aspindza (partly), Ninotsminda, and partly to the Tur ...

. Patriarch Kasparian retired in 1998 upon reaching the obligatory of 70 years according to the rules of the Armenian Catholic Church and withdrew to Bzommar. He died after a long illness on 16 January 2011, four days before his 84th birthday, in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

.Biography on official site of the Armenian Catholic Church
, armeniancatholic.org; accessed 25 June 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hovhannes Bedros 18 Kasparian Armenian Catholic Patriarchs of Cilicia 1927 births 2011 deaths Members of the Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar 21st-century Eastern Catholic clergy 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops Armenian Eastern Catholics Egyptian people of Armenian descent Clergy from Cairo

Biography

See also

References