Burial Service of Archbishop Grigoris held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On March 11, the Burial Rites of His Eminence Archbishop Grigoris Buniatyan, a member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Ukraine, was offered in the monastic cemetery of the Mother See.

Under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the body of Archbishop Grigoris was placed in the St. Gayane Monastery where he received the last anointment.

service, His Holiness conveyed his message of condolence to all the members of the Brotherhood of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, relatives and friends of the late Archbishop and the faithful.

“We are gathered here to offer him our love, respect and prayers for the last time, and guide him to the heavenly heights”, said His Holiness.

Reflecting on the character and devoted service of Archbishop Grigoris, the Armenian Pontiff noted: “We know Archbishop Grigoris from our student years. He was amiable, friendly. From those years we knew him as church-loving, patriotic, a person of kind spirit and in the subsequent years he made best use of all those divine attributes for the church life, winning the hearts and souls of people, enjoying the respect of our faithful children. Archbishop Grigoris lived his pastoral and eparchial live in happiness as he knew he had chosen the true path of serving the Church and nation and was totally dedicated to the service.

He served both in the Homeland and in Diaspora, and was everywhere treated with love and respect by his faithful.

We mourn the loss of our beloved Archbishop. As a priest and as a Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Ukraine, he still had much to do. He had undertaken the implementation of several programs in Ukraine, initiated the construction of the church in Kiev and enthusiastically put his life into these programs. He offered all his efforts for the Armenian Diocese of Ukraine to prosper and shine. He was constant, even in the hardest of times in the country, encouraging his faithful people through difficult situations”.

At the conclusion His Holiness wished for the soul of Archbishop Grigoris to continue rejoicing in the heavenly harbors, seeing the recorded achievements in the sacred mission of his spiritual brothers.

Following the service, the funeral procession moved to the monastic cemetery of the Mother See, where under the presidency of His Grace Bishop Mikael Ajapahyan, Primate of the Diocese of Shirak, the burial service of the late Archbishop was held.

Present for the funeral were Primates from various Dioceses of the Armenian Church within Armenia, members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, provincial and municipal authorities of the Diocese of Shirak and Armavir, representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy of Armenia, public figures, community representatives of the Armenian Diocese of Ukraine.

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