Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan, I.P.C.B. ( hy, Գրիգոր Պետրոս Ի. Կապրոյեան) also known in English as Gregory Peter XX Gabroyan and in French as Grégoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan (14 November 1934 – 25 May 2021) was the

Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia This is a list of the Armenian Catholic catholicos patriarchs of Cilicia, officially the Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics. The Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of Cilicia was established in 1740 following a schism within the A ...

of the

Armenian Catholic Church , native_name_lang = hy , image = St Elie - St Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral.jpg , imagewidth = 260px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminat ...

after his election on 24 July 2015 and the necessary concession of the ecclesiastical full communion by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

one day later. He was enthroned on 9 August 2015.

Biography

Gabroyan felt a vocation for the priesthood and studied at Bzommar Patriarchal Monastery continuing at the Collège des frères maristes de Jounieh (Lebanon). He was sent to Italy to continue his higher studies at the Armenian Leonine Pontifical College in

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 ...

and graduate studies in 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 ...

. Upon successful graduation, he returned to

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 Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and was ordained priest on 28 March 1959. Gabroyan became an instructor in Bzommar Monastery School in 1960 and from 1962 to 1996 served as principal of the Armenian Catholic Mesrobian Secondary School in

Bourj Hammoud Bourj Hammoud (also spelled Burj Hammud; ar, بُرْجُ حَمُّودٍ; hy, Պուրճ Համուտ) is a town and municipality in Lebanon located north-east of the capital Beirut, in the Matn District, and is part of Greater Beirut. The t ...

and from 1969 to 1975 as head of the Bzommar Convent School and secretary to the Convent's executive council. In 1976, he was appointed for serving the Armenian Catholics in France and was ordained as bishop on 13 February 1977 on the hand of

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-Patriarch Hemaiag Bedros XVII Ghedighian serving as Apostolic Exarch in France from 1977 to 1986 and as Primate and Armenian Catholic Eparch and Bishop of France at the Éparchie Sainte-Croix-de-Paris des Arméniens, from 1986 to April 2013 date of his retirement from his duties. Upon the death of Armenian Catholic Patriarch Catholicos of Cilicia

Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni Nerses Bedros XIX ( hy, Ներսէս Պետրոս ԺԹ. Թարմունի) (17 January 1940 – 25 June 2015) was the patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. He was the second son and the fifth of eight children born to Elias Taza and Josephine ...

on 25 June 2015, he served as administrator of the Church until election of a new Patriarch. The Armenian Catholic Holy Synod of Bishops convened starting 14 July 2015 and elected Gabroyan as Catholicos-Patriarch on 24 July 2015 under the name of Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan. He was enthroned on 9 August 2015 in

Bzommar Bzoummar ( ar, بزمار; also spelled ''Bzommar'' or ''Bzemmar'') is a village in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate in Lebanon. It is northeast of Beirut, and has an elevation ranging between above sea level. Bzoummar's i ...

. Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan died on 25 May 2021 and his death was announced by the Pontificio Collegio Armeno online. On 29 May, Pope Francis issued a statement memorializing Gabroyan and imploring the

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of praying to a deity on behalf of others, or asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Timothy specified that intercession prayers s ...

of St. Gregory of Narek, who was

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of s ...

in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabroyan, Krikor Bedros XX 1934 births 2021 deaths Members of the Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar 21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops Armenian Catholic Patriarchs of Cilicia Armenian Eastern Catholics Syrian Eastern Catholics Syrian people of Armenian descent French people of Armenian descent People from Aleppo Pontifical Gregorian University alumni

Biography

See also

References