SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
Photo: GCBA/Prensa (CC BY 2.0)
Armenian nationality or passport
His Holiness Karekin II
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
Born Ktrij Nersessian, he was enthroned in 1999 as the 132nd Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos (meaning “universal leader”) of Echmiadzin,
the holy seat of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church. He has
traveled the world visiting the Armenian diaspora and promoting
inter-faith dialogue. His travels have taken him to places including
Vatican City, the United States, India and Turkey, milestones of his
pontifical visits.
File details
HSBC internal files first listed Karekin II among its clients in 2000.
He was connected to an account named “His Holiness Karekin II Nersis”
that listed one bank account and held as much as $1.1 million in
2006/2007. The leaked files do not specify the exact role that Karekin
II had in relation to the account.
A spokesman told ICIJ that the account in question was opened by His
Holiness Karekin II’s precedessor “for the benefit of the Church and
its charities. This account was transferred to His Holiness Karekin
II Nersissian upon the death of his predecessor to be used for the
same purposes. The Catholicosate -the area of responsibility of the
Catholicos- of the Armenian church is a national religious institution
and is not subject to any taxes” and that His Holiness “has immunity
from any taxes.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2015/02/09/supreme-patriarch-and-catholicos-of-all-armenians/
