Saturday, July 02, 2011

New Armenian Catholic leader appointed in Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Archbishop Raphael Minasyan as the new head of Armenian Catholics in Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe, Armenia Today cites the Patriarchy of the Armenian Catholic Church in Beirut, Lebanon, as saying.

Minasyan will replace Vaan Oganyan.

The official appointment ceremony will take place at the Cathedral of Saint Grigory the Illuminator in Beirut.
Raphael Minasyan was born in Lebanon on October 24, 1946.

He entered the Catholic monastery of Zmmar in Lebanon in 1958. He entered the Lebanese seminary in Rome in 1966. He joined the order in Beirut in 1973.
Minasyan formed the Sacred Cross scout group in 1984, the group opened a church in Zalka.

He was a pastor of Armenian Catholics in California in 1996-2006.

He is a co-founder of the Armenian Alliance charity fund. 

He was the editor-in-chief of Avetaber-Verelk for 8 years.

Minasyan founded an Armenian television company in 2005, the work of which was broadcast by the Telepace Channel.