YEREVAN—Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Raphael Minasyan as the new head of Armenian Catholics in Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe, reported the Patriarchy of the Armenian Catholic Church in Beirut.
Minasian will replace Vahan Ohanian. The official appointment ceremony will take place at the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in Beirut.
Raphael Minasian was born in Lebanon on October 24, 1946. He entered the Catholic monastery of Zmmar in Lebanon in 1958. He entered the Lebanese seminry in Rome in 1966. He joined the order in Beirut in 1973.
Minasian 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.
Minasian founded an Armenian television company in 2005, whose segments were broadcast by the Telepace Channel.
Congratulations to H.E. Raphael Minassian on his appointment to this important and challenging post of Կաթողիկե Հայոց Առաջնորդ in Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe. His diocese now counts around 400,000 Armenians who are in communion with the Church of Rome. This is the largest concentration of Catholic Armenians in the world. May God grant him wisdom, strength and patience. My best wishes for a successful mission.
Bert Taeymans, Belgian priest, every year in Armenia for a project,
asks the adress of Archbishop Raphaël Minasyan.
with thanks