Monday, February 23, 2015

Pope Raises Armenian Saint to Doctor of the Church

Catholic Christianity gets a new Doctor of the Church - According to observers, the Pope's decision of Gregory of Narek could be made in the context of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

Vatican City (kath.net/KNA) In the anniversary year for Armenians, Catholics worldwide will receive an Armenian Doctor of the Church. Pope Francis has confirmed this weekend the raising of St. Gregory of Narek as a "Doctor of the Universal Church", as the Vatican announced on Monday. It will follow shortly. The Armenian monk, mystic and writer, was born in 950 in Armenian Andzevatsik in the former kingdom of Vaspurakan. He died around 1005 in Narek. Both towns are located in eastern Anatolia in modern Turkey.

The Holy Catholic Church, honors Saints who make significant contributions for the Doctrine of the Faith. In total there are 35 Church doctors so far. From the German-speaking comes Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Albertus Magnus (1200-1280 to) and the Jesuit, Peter Canisius (1521-1597).

Christians world wide will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. According to observers, the Pope could be making this decision on Gregory of Narek in this context. As part of the commemoration of the genocide, the victims of the 1915 massacres in the former Ottoman Empire will be canonized by the leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 24 April in Etchmiadzin. Pope Francis wants on April 12 to celebrate a memorial service in the Armenian rite in St. Peter's Basilica with the Armenian Catholic bishops.

Gregory's life fell into a more peaceful era in Armenia shortly before the Turkish and Mongol invasions, when the country experienced a golden age in literature, painting architecture and theology. Gregor's father Khosrov was later bishop and author of the first commentary on the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, his mother Anania Vartabed, who died young, was abbess of the convent of Narek. Like his two brothers, Gregory was already a monk in early adolescence and at 25 ordained to priesthood. He taught at the convent school of Narekavank at Narek and wrote major writings on music, astronomy, geometry, mathematics, literature and theology. Gregory's letters, liturgical chants, songs and sermons were also widely spread. Many prayers written by him have been included in the Armenian Rite of Mass.

A masterpiece of the mystic is considered to be the book of Lamentations, a well-known also as "Narek" collection of 95 prayers, each of which bears the title "Talk to God from the depths of the heart." They are read today by faithful Armenians.

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Kath.net...
AMDG

20 comments:

  1. It should be noted that this is an unprecedented act of ecumenism, as St. Gregory of Narek was Oriental Orthodox, and not in communion with Rome.

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    Replies
    1. Are you kidding me? Seriously?

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    2. Not kidding.

      (I'm the original anonymous)

      -Alex

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    3. Surely the Photian Schism was over by St. Gregory's time and it predates Michael Cerularius by at least 50 years.

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    4. St, Gregory of Narek belonged to the Armenian Apostolic Church, which did not accept Chalcedon. There had been no reunion during his lifetime.

      -Alex

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    5. The point is he was not Catholic.

      He was "Orthodox" only in the sense that Copts, Armenians, Ethiopians, etc. call themselves Orthodox.

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    6. I can beleieve it. Francis et al MUST pull something like this if they are to proclaim Luther a "saint" in 2017. I have said it before on this blog. This is the only way the heretics can pretend to be "Catholic" without conversions. Mark my words. This is what Vaticon Double was all about.

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  2. Surely he was a Chalcedonian Armenian.

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  3. There was a brief reunion at Florence, and then the Armenian Catholic Church was not established until 1740. Whatever the personal views of St. Gregory of Narek, his church was not Chalcedonian.

    -Alex

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    1. I think that's the key phrase there, "whatever are his personal views", and even modern oriental orthodox disagree that their views are Nestorian.

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    2. Actually, no oriental orthodox are nestorian. That's only the Assyrian Church of the East, which isn't oriental orthodox.

      O.O. are miaphysite, and have never been monophysite as they have been accused of.

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    3. Yes, but there were Chalcedonian elements in the Armenian Church at this time.

      I'm not very familiar with Gregory of Narek, but I have read at least one account that indicates that he himself was in fact Chalcedonian in his theology. I think what's needed is a close examination of his writings, and not just the nominal Christological position of the Armenian Church at that time. Are there, in fact, heretical statements by Gregory of Narek?

      I sure hope not.

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    4. The Latins and Armenians seemed to get along well enough during the Crusades.

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  4. This is unreal....and boy was it kept quiet.

    Why not name C.S. Lewis a Doctor?....seriously.

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  5. Here's a REALLY informative post by the great Joan of Arc of our time....

    http://www.barnhardt.biz/

    The situation is actually WAAAAY worse than even Alex has hinted at. God have mercy on us....I pray everyday that he stops the insidious beatings of the flock by the rotten, ravening wolves in charge of His temple.

    "Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

    How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

    They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage."

    Maranatha Lord.

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  6. Thanks for that link Susan, that really helped me.

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    1. Tartar, if you've never read read her before, do yourself a big favor and start. Especially of good note is her section titled "The One About...", and of special note in that section is this one....

      http://www.barnhardt.biz/2013/11/23/the-one-about-the-science-of-the-immaculate-conception-and-assumption-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/

      Pure, distilled, crystalline BEAUTY. God bless.

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  7. I invite people to consider my ruminations and questions and hope that faithful and acute theological minds consider them as well. I do admit that I am confused as to factually what has happened and what has not yet but is going to happen.

    https://opuspublicum.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/some-remarks-on-st-gregory-of-narek-and-eastwest-relations/comment-page-1/#comment-1288

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  8. An excellent work on the Armenian genocide is Bjerknes's freely-available The Jewish Genocide of Armenian Christians.

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