PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
August 2, 2006
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DIOCESAN LEGATE ACCOMPANIES CATHOLICOS TO INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS’
MEETING IN MOSCOW
Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), attended an international conference
of religious leaders in Moscow from July 2 to 6, 2006.
The World Religious Summit for Peace involved more than 200 representatives
from 49 countries. Included in the summit were leaders from Oriental
Orthodox churches — including His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians, and Patriarch Paulos of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church — as well as representatives of other Orthodox churches,
the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant churches, as well as
Jewish, Buddhist, and Islamic community leaders.
The summit was organized by the Russian Orthodox Church and was organized to
coincide with the recent G8 summit in St. Petersburg. Organizers hoped the
forum would offer the political leaders attending the G8 summit with
solutions to global problems.
Bishop Aykazian attended not just as a representative of the Armenian
Church, but as president-elect of the National Council of Churches (NCC).
"We spoke about how can we achieve the peace," said Bishop Aykazian, who
like Catholicos Karekin II, addressed the delegates during the meeting. "I
spoke about peace and the achievements of the National Council of Churches
in peaceful movements around the world. This is an ongoing process, and we
will always have problems in the world. But we have to continue these
peaceful conferences in order to be able to create a stable world in which
to live."
In speaking of the NCC, Bishop Aykazian outlined how the group is trying to
help in the Middle East, Africa, and many other countries around the world.
"We are still helping," he said of the organization’s ongoing efforts. "It
is a process that is continuous and goes on always."
During the summit, the legate was also a guest of the U.S. Ambassador to
Russia, who invited him to attend a special 4th of July celebration in the
U.S. embassy.
— 8/2/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer of
the Eastern Diocese, left, with former head of the Soviet Union, Mikhail
Gorbachev, and U.S. Ambassador to Russia William Burns.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Bishop Aykazian, right, with Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona
Metzger, left, and Russian-Armenian philanthropist Ara Abrahamyan.