His Holiness Aram I Presides over the meeting of The Council of Religion

On Thursday 23 January, Catholicos Aram I presided over the one-day meeting of the Council of Religion. The Council consists of 13 clergy including Diocesan Bishops.

The Council met for the first time since the last National Assembly of the Catholicosate and its task was to study the recommendations and plan for their implementation. The priorities included: Christian education, Sunday schools, religious publications, youth, ecumenical and interreligious activities, reformation of the Armenian Church (Bishops conferences, Rites and Classification of Saints), Seminary and planning for the Assembly of the Clergy in April 2014, The Armenian Church University Students Association (ACUSA) and ACUSA Alumni Association.

The members of the Council also studied carefully issues referred to them by the dioceses.  The Council identified Christian education and youth as top priorities for their next mandate.

Catholicos Aram I concluded the meeting and reminded the members that the mandate of the Council for Religion was wider than the term religion. It meant discussing progrmmes that reflected the vocation of the church and its outreach to the community. Implementation of those priorities depended on the contextual environment of the Dioceses. Nevertheless, bringing the youth closer to the Church was the priority for all the clergy. The Church must be capable of accompanying the youth who were exposed to new types of knowledge and to new approaches to learning. This awareness would also lead the Church to reassess its own mission and outreach.

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