In an Exclusive Interview After His Appointment
His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian
Patriarch of Cilicia for the Armenian Catholics
‘After 30 years God sent me back to my starting point, Beirut’
‘I am nothing but a servant and priest fulfilling the will of Jesus Christ’
This interview is also available in Arabic.
Interview by Huguette Salameh and Elia Nasrallah
Photography by Maria Karkour
With complete surrender, he passed his priestly journey, and he was the faithful servant whom his master entrusted over many things, so he chose him as a Patriarch at the head of the Armenian Catholic Church.
His Beatitude Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian Patriarch of Cilicia for the Armenian Catholics believes that God’s hand is in his in every stage of his mission. He started off in Lebanon, then Jerusalem, the United States of America, to Eastern Europe, to finally returned after 30 years to his starting point as Patriarch seated in Beirut.
His election as Patriarch of Cilicia for the Armenian Catholics after the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church was convened in Rome in September 2021, and receiving ecclesiastical communion from His Holiness Pope Francis, both gave Minassian a heavy cross to bear. He carries in his heart the truth of Armenians in the diaspora and sticks to his primary message: “We must protect our children because we are here to serve them.” His Beatitude pledged before God and people to serve every person in need with the divine strength of God until his last breath.
With the team of the Communication and Public Relations Department
His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian was exposed to threats, torture, and danger at the beginning of the war in Beirut, and now he comes back without hesitation. He was never afraid because God is with him, and today he answers the call of the Lord Jesus Christ and seeks to lead the Church on the path of communion and ecumenical dialogue according to the commandment of His Holiness Pope Francis in their first meeting after his appointment as Patriarch.
The faithful servant and good shepherd spoke in an exclusive interview with the Communication and Public Relations Department team of the Middle East Council of Churches at the headquarters of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate in Beirut about his strategy as a Patriarch and his most prominent plans in his service journey. He summed it up: “I am nothing but a servant and priest fulfilling the will of Jesus Christ who gave me a special calling!”
Your Beatitude, what is the message that you carry on your new patriarchal journey?
The strategy I will follow in my new journey would be to accept anyone who knocks on my door asking for help. In this person is the image of Christ. The act of giving and helping wouldn’t be right if it is based on advertisement and propaganda. Rather, it is necessary to see in those people in need the image of Christ who we always ask for help. Hence the most important principle is to see God in every vulnerable, sick person in need.
I am only a servant and a priest serving and fulfilling the will of Christ who gave me this special calling, my priesthood. This priesthood is not only limited to faith and knowledge, but it is a duty and a testimony.
“It is important to see God in every vulnerable, sick person in need”
His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian and His Excellency Archbishop Georges Asadourian, Patriarchal Vicar of the Armenian Catholic Church
In your opinion, what are the challenges you may face taking this new responsibility?
When our Lord spoke to His disciples prior to the crucifixion, He told them that if the teacher was persecuted, disciples will be too. These persecutions, no matter if directly or indirectly, are nothing but the way of the cross we must walk in the footsteps of our Lord for the salvation of our souls and the souls of all those we help and serve. Therefore, I do not see any challenges other than responding to the will of our Lord in order to train and prepare Man to assume his responsibilities for the service of the Church.
Priesthood helps me cross the river that leads to eternal life, and the deeper the river, the more difficult it is to cross. This is where we get the perseverance we need in the priestly path, so that Man may prove to our Lord Jesus Christ through testimony that he is a servant and faithful in His service, and this is what I do.
In the Old Testament, Samuel did not realize where the voice he heard came from, whether it was from his Lord or his relative. It is important to answer because it is our Lord who asks. I never asked for responsibility, it was always given to me. All I had to do was answer my Lord and assure Him that I am ready to serve Him until my last breath.
You have experienced a rich Christian service and message over the past 30 years. Can you summarize its most important stages?
The Lord has given me a priestly path that I have walked since the early years of my youth, and I still am today. I started my journey when I embarked on my priestly path, at that time the civil war was raging in Lebanon. I went through all the thorns and hardships, I took in the most difficult times I lived in Beirut, in our Church in the Al-Dabbas area, where I was subjected to torture and possibly death, but the Lord was my protector and leader on this path.
The next step my Lord wanted me to take was interpreted in the United States where the community was big, energetic, and kind. I accompanied about 3 thousand families in California, the activities were many also the donations were great. Then the Lord saw that it was time for me to move on to the next chapter, so He asked me: “Do you want to see where I was crucified?” And he sent me to where they crucified Him to bear witness to his great love and the bitterness that people suffered from at that time and still are, so I was appointed a servant of Jerusalem for 6 years.
Then the Lord wanted to send me to a land deprived of spiritual life in Eastern Europe for it to be a new station for preaching, just as he commanded His apostles to go preach and make disciples. Of course, life was difficult, but the consolation was great for I did not find a stronger faith than that expressed by the peoples of Eastern Europe, where I lived for 10 years. I didn’t find such faith in the United States, Europe, Jerusalem, not even in Lebanon.
My message in Eastern Europe was the widest as it reached more than 600,000 Armenian Catholics distributed among Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Poland, and Hungary... In all these regions you will find an Armenian Catholic community eagerly waiting for a priest to come and serve it.
After 30 years, the Lord brought me back to my starting point, Lebanon, to answer his call and receive my new message.
Your Beatitude, how can Christians today consolidate their faith amidst all these difficult circumstances we are going through?
Testimony lies in the austere life and the life granted to us, so Man should always be ready, leave his door open to everyone, the rich, the poor, the elderly, and the youth... We receive them with the same love and fatherhood, listen to them and help them find solutions so that they have a balanced and integrated life with the Church. Resorting to Church is not only limited for times of need, but for all our states, both sweet and bitter, and we must continue to walk with the Lord always and wherever we are.
This connection is what unites the family members spiritually, allowing them to share everything, especially if they are in different cities or countries. It is enough to mention one of their names to unleash the waves of feelings coming from the heart. Feelings of sympathy, tenderness, and longing for each other. This is why we must hold together in order to preserve the spiritual unity of this family.
Of course, the Nagorno-Karabakh setback had a moral and psychological impact on Armenians. By the way, I recall His Holiness Pope Francis telling me during our last meeting that Armenians are “teachers”, amidst problems they always find a solution to their crises. We might have lost a fight, but we did not lose the war because we clung to our faith and strove to protect our families and children who persevered. Even our martyrs are an essential part of our daily lives.
Are there any prospective activities or future plans for the Armenian Catholic communities?
Every year and for years, we have been organizing activities that aim to introduce parishes, families, elderly and youth to each other. Noting that more than 1,200 young men and women from all over the world gather each year in a country such as Armenia this year for example, Russia next year, and perhaps Lebanon the following year, or any other country with Armenian Catholic communities. We also organize youth meetings with different sects to share the challenges we face and discuss ways to overcome them.
For 3 years, we have focused in our work on only three words: Divinity, Integration and Testimony, and we have been trying to study their meanings and delve deeper into their dimensions so that young people can reach the true testimony.
What do you think of the reality that young people live in today? What would you say to them?
To the youth, I turn and say: Be always joyful, and the most important thing in a person’s life is that his hand remains in God’s hand. In hardships and adversities, do not be afraid, for the Lord is with you, and He is the one who delivers and leads you.
“I turn to the youth and say: always be joyful, the most important thing in one’s life is to live it hand in hand with God”
I would like to tell here the story of a young man who always whined about the weight of his cross, until the Lord one day came to him and asked him about the reason for his torment. The young man answered him that his cross was heavier than he could bear anymore, so the Lord took him to a room full of crosses to search for the cross he would think would suit him just like every other creature in this universe. The young man chose a small and light cross and said to the Lord: “Behold, the cross that I want.” To his surprise, the Lord smiled at him and said: “This was your cross all along, my son!”
In conclusion, no matter how dire the circumstances may be for people and especially the youth, it is important to know that the Lord does not burden us with more than we can bear. And with this cross, always remember the word of Christ in the Gospel, this is the cross the Lord gives to Man so that he may practice and hold on to faith, therefore, do not be afraid to face danger, always rely on the Lord, for we are all poor in front of His graces.
However, I see that young people today lack perseverance and are eager to get everything they want quickly. Most of them are even looking for an immediate solution that may not lead them to a sound conclusion. In my opinion, young people should first realize the importance of belonging to the land, the homeland, and the Church.
How, then, would you motivate young people to persevere and stay?
I lived in Armenia, a besieged country from every side, lacking markets and ways to open up to the world. In Armenia we have many orchards from which we harvest large crops, but we cannot export them abroad. Therefore, we began to transform them and invent food products that would be useful in our homes and in the environment we live in. We also came up with new ideas, as we did with one of the associations that needed help, we made artisanal handicrafts and shared them on social media platforms for sale. We sold a lot of them across platforms that were a one-stop solution for us, often open to everyone. It was enough for us to post the handicrafts such as engravings and drawings on wood, for example, that I used to do with the orphan children I cared for on the websites to receive many requests from Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy... The revenues we were getting were spent on the children or their relatives. Opportunities are endless, and the important thing is to believe in our role and adhere to our identity and presence wherever we are, but most importantly not to despair and persevere.
At the same time, the problem is often not the lack of guidance, but rather the lack of listening, because the word is spread, and guidance is given. The problem is to listen, partake, and move forward.
What are the preparations of the Armenian Catholic Church in the framework of the work for the Synod called by His Holiness Pope Francis? How would you describe the relationship between the laity and the consecrated today?
We started working in the Synod workshop and distributed the committees in Europe, Eastern Europe, the United States, and the region. We are in the preparation stage, and I believe that the Synodal message will begin at the end of the year. In any case, we will hold an online meeting on the 16th of this month to discuss the points that we should focus on.
The issue of trust between the laity and the consecrated is raised today among all spiritual families, and consecrated people or all those who have been granted a priestly vocation are like bees. The priest or the consecrated one is like the first bee that dies to give with its death a drop of honey, and this is heroism and testimony.
Your Beatitude Patriarch Minassian, what do you think of the ecumenical work today, and will you encourage it on your new journey?
The first idea of ecumenical work is embodied in the bridging of distances and the creation of the necessary facilities and sacrifices to strengthen and support this path. But of course, only the grace of God works among us, not the will of men. For me, we are supposed to be together with our Lord so that our unity may be realized under one Church.
Communication and Public Relations Department