His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian Enters Eternal Rest

It is with profound sorrow that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin informs our faithful that on the morning of June 27, His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian, entered his eternal rest. He was one of the senior members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin and a devoted servant of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church. He was 72.
Archbishop Nerses was seriously injured as a result of a robbery attack committed by an acquaintance on February 18, 2009. The attack occurred in his home on the grounds of the Mother See. He was hospitalized in a coma at the Nairi Medical Center. The Archbishop had remained under the compassionate care of the Medical Center until the time of his death. The death of the Archbishop is a great loss for the Armenian Church and her faithful.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Church and her clergy deeply mourn the loss of the Archbishop, offering their prayers for the repose of soul of the servant of the Armenian Church.
Archbishop Nerses will be placed in the Monastery of St. Gayane for public farewell on June 29 at 17:00 PM. The church rite of burial will commence at 7:00 PM.

On June 30, 11:00 AM, Divine Liturgy will be celebrated during which last rites and interment services will be offered in the Holy Martyrs Church of Teghenik in the Kotayk Region. The church was built by Archbishop Pozapalian on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Following the Divine Liturgy burial services will be conducted in the church courtyard where he will be interred.

Blessed be the memory of the righteous.

Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian

Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian (baptismal name Hakob) was born in 1937 in the province of Gregkhan, Cilicia. In 1939, his family migrated to Beirut where he received his primary education at the Noubarian Armenian College, the Armenian Seminary of Antelias, and the Central High College of Beirut.

In 1957 his family repatriated to Armenia. Here he continued his education at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He was ordained to the diaconate that same year by Archbishop Haikazoon Abrahamian of blessed memory. He continued his education at the Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church in Zagorsk.
He was ordained as a celibate priest in 1961 by the Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Vazken I of Blessed Memory and given the priestly name of Nerses.

In 1962 upon the successful defense of his thesis, Fr. Nerses received the rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet) and, in 1965 he received the rank of Senior Archimandrite (Dzayraguyn Vardapet).

From 1963 to 1965 Fr. Nerses studied at the Department of Theology at the College of the Resurrection in Yorkshire, England. At the same time he participated in summer courses in English culture and literature at Cambridge University.

Upon his return from England, he served as the dean of Gevorkian Theological Seminary until 1969.

From 1969 to 1970 Fr. Nerses studied at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva.

He served as the spiritual pastor for the Swiss-Armenian community from 1969 to 1972.

He served as the Primate of the Diocese of England from 1973 to 1982 and in 1974 he was consecrated as a bishop by His Holiness Vasken. In 1977 His Eminence was awarded a special Letter of Gratitude by the Queen of England, Elizabeth II.

At the request His Holiness Vasken I he returned to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1982 and was appointed to serve as the Chancellor of the Catholicosate of All Armenians.

In 1986 Bishop Pozpalian was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by the Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Vasken I.
On 4 July, 1999 he was elected to serve as Locum Tenens of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and organized the Catholicosal elections that took place on 27 October, 1999.

Starting in 2000 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood Bishop Pozapalian sponsored the construction of the Holy Martyrs Church in the village of Teghenik, in memory of his parents – Grigor and Makrouhy Pozapalian. The church was consecrated in 2003. On this occasion he was awarded the order of St. Gregory the Illuminator by the Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Karekin II.

His Grace has published 10 books of poetry and sermons. He has served as a lecturer at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of Etchmiadzin delivering lectures in Ecumenism, National Constitution, and “Pologenia”. He has also served on the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, the Jinishian Benevolent Foundation, and established the Bible Society of Armenia in 1982 He was serving as member of the Executive Committee of the Bible Society of the Middle East. In 1999, he was elected as full member of the Humanitarian Academy of Russia.

Archbishop Pozapalian served as the Director of the Publishing Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin until 2007 and was retired at the Mother See.

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