Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, I.C.P.B. (; born 24 November 1946) is a Lebanese-born armenian

hierarch An ordinary (from Latin ''ordinarius'') is an officer of a church or civic authority who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute laws. Such officers are found in hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ...

who serves as the 21st patriarch of the

Armenian Catholic Church The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church. It accepts the papal supremacy, leadership of the bishop of Rome, and is therefore in full communion with ...

. He previously served as ordinary of the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe, which covers

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

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, and

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, from 24 June 2011 to 23 September 2021 and as a Patriarchal Exarch of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Amman from 26 September 2005 to 24 June 2011. He is also the president of Armenian Caritas.

Life

Raphaël François Minassian was born in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

on 24 November 1946. After the primary school education, he joined the

Minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Priesthood (Catholic Church), Catholic priests. They are generally ...

of the Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar in 1958, where he later made a

profession A profession is a field of Work (human activity), work that has been successfully professionalized. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, professionals, who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are ...

. After that, he went on to study in Rome at the Pontifical Levonian Armenian College. He studied at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

, earning a licentiate in philosophy and theology, and at the

Salesian Pontifical University The Salesian Pontifical University (; ) is a pontifical university in Italy run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. It has three campuses, one in Rome, one in Turin, and one in Jerusalem. The Salesian Pontifical University is an ordinary member of ...

, where he earned a degree in the practical psychology. He was ordained a priest on 24 June 1973. He then worked in various Armenian Catholic institutions in Lebanon and in the United States and at the same time performed pastoral work for the Armenian Catholics. On 26 September 2005, he was appointed Patriarchal Exarch of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Amman, where he served almost six years. On 24 June 2011,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

appointed Minassian ordinary of the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe. He received his episcopal consecration on 16 July from Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, the Head of the Armenian Catholic Church. On 23 September 2021, he was elected as the Church's 21st patriarch and took the name Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian. He was enthroned as Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics on 24 October 2021 in

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 around the ...

Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminator in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minassian, Raphaël 1946 births Living people Religious leaders from Beirut Members of the Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Salesian Pontifical University alumni Bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church Lebanese people of Armenian descent 21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops Armenian Catholic Patriarchs of Cilicia

Life

See also

References