The Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Amman (colloquially Jerusalem of the Armenians) is the missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction 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 ...

''sui iuris'' (

Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

Armenian Rite The Armenian Rite () is an independent liturgy used by both the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches. Liturgy The liturgy is patterned after the directives of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, first official head and patron sain ...

Armenian language Armenian ( classical: , reformed: , , ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is the official language of Armenia. Historically spoken in the Armenian Highlands, today Armenian is widely spoken th ...

) in the Holy Land ( Palestine/

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

) and (Trans)

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. It is directly dependent on the

Armenian Catholic 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 ...

, not part of his or any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

. Its

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

episcopal see is a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

: the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Jerusalem.

Antecedents

Previously the area had the lower status of patriarchal vicariate within the Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia's proper archdiocese (based in Beirut). ;''Patriarchal Vicars of Jerusalem'' * Monsignor Giovanni Gamasargan (1973 – 1978) * Father Joseph Chadarevian (1978 – 1986) * Father Joseph I. Debs (1986 – 1991 ''see below'')

History

* Established on 1 October 1991 as

Patriarchal Exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and ea ...

of Jerusalem. * In 1998 demoted as Territory Dependent on the Patriarch of Amman and Jerusalem, under the same Ordinary * Promoted back in 2001 as Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Amman

Ordinaries

(all

) ;''Patriarchal Exarchs of Jerusalem'' * Father Joseph I. Debs (''see above'' 1991 – 1992), previously last Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem of the Armenians (1986 – 1991) *

Archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") wh ...

Joseph Rubian (1992 – 1995) * André Bedoglouyan,

Patriarchal Clergy Institute of Bzommar Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

(I.C.P.B.) (1995 – 1998 ''see below''), previously

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of Comana Armeniæ (1971.07.24 – death 2010.04.13) & Auxiliary Eparch of

Cilicia of the Armenians The Patriarchate of Cilicia ( la, Patriarchatus Ciliciae Armenorum) is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction and the only patriarchate of the Armenian Catholic Church of the Catholic Church. The territorial jurisdiction of that Patriarch of Cilicia is th ...

(patriarchate, in Lebanon) (1971.07.24 – 1994.11.05), also

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

Kameshli of the Armenians The Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Qamishli is a suffragan eparchy (Eastern Catholic diocese) of the Armenian Catholic Church ''sui iuris'' (Armenian Rite in Armenian language) in the Patriarch's own ecclesiastical province 'of Cilicia', serving pa ...

(Syria) (1988 – 1989) ;''Protosyncellus of (Patriarchal Dependency) Amman and Jerusalem'' * André Bedoglouyan, I.C.P.B. (''see above'' 1998 – retired 2001) ;''Patriarchal Exarchs of Jerusalem and Amman'' * Kévork Khazoumian (2001 – 2006.03.15), also Titular Bishop of Marasc of the Armenians (2002.01.22 – 2006.03.15); later

Coadjutor Archeparch Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on t ...

of Istanbul of the Armenians (Turkey) (2006.03.15 – 2014.05.21) * Msgr. Raphaël François Minassian (2006 – 2011.06.24); later Titular Archbishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia of the Armenians (2011.06.24 – 2021.09.23), Ordinary of East Europe of the Armenians (Armenia) (2011.06.24 – 2021.09.23) & Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics as

Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, I.C.P.B. ( hy, Ռաֆայել Պետրոս ԻԱ. Մինասյան; born 24 November 1946) is a Lebanese-born hierarch who serves as the 21st patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. He previously serve ...

(2021.09.23 – ...) * Msgr. Joseph Antoine Kélékian (2011.08.08 – retired 2014) *''

Msgr. Kevork Noradouguian (Dankayé) (2014.04.30 – 2015.11.25) (no other office)'' * Kricor-Okosdinos Coussa (2015.11.25 – 2019.05.10); previously Eparch of Iskanderiya of the Armenians (Alexandria, Egypt) ( 003.09.092004.01.07 – ...) * (2019.05.10 – 2022) * (2022 – ...)

References

External links

GCatholic with incumbent biography links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerusalem and Amman, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate Eastern Catholicism in Israel Eastern Catholicism in Jordan Eastern Catholicism in the State of Palestine