The Armenian Apostolic Church and the ecumenical movement

| 399 Dagma Helle The A menian Apos olic Chu ch and he ecumenical mo emen Abs ac This a icle examines he pa icipa ion o he A menian Apos olic Chu ch in he mode n ecumenical mo emen a a ious le els (na ional and in e na ional). In pa icula , i ocuses on he ques ion o he unde s anding o ecclesial uni y and i s a i ude o he ques ion o in e communion o eucha- is ic communion. I shows a adi ional openness o he ecumenical mo emen and especially o Eucha is ic hospi ali y. 1. No e When s udying he in ol emen o he A menian Apos olic Chu ch in he Ecumenical Mo e- men , his chu ch appea s mainly as pa o he O ien al O hodox chu ch amily. In o he wo ds: The A menians seem o ac ecumenically mainly in coope a ion wi h he o he O ien al chu ches. This coope a ion wi h o he chu ches is in i sel al eady an ecumenical in ol emen , because he O ien al chu ches a e in many espec s qui e di e en om each o he , and hus i is no sel -unde s ood ha hey can ac oge he in all issues. The e o e, he A menian schola G ego y Shokhikyan ecen ly poin ed o he p oblema ic aspec o placing he A menian Apos - olic Chu ch wi hin he amily o O ien al O hodox chu ches, because – as he says – he main bond be ween hose chu ches is he ejec ion o he Council o Chalcedon, hus a nega i e, deli- mi ing idea, bu no a posi i e common issue. He also poin s o he di e en li u gical adi ions as well as he di e en biblical canons and ch is ological nuances be ween hese chu ches. 1 So, my in e es in his sho p esen a ion is o unde s and he A menian Apos olic Chu ch as a Ch is ian adi ion wi h i s own speci ici y. The e o e, I am in e es ed o ind ou i s speci ic and unique con ibu ion o he ecumenical endea ou . Un o una ely, he e a e no many sou ces in English, F ench o Ge man – he languages I can manage. Thus, my con i- bu ion he e is limi ed, bu may be a s a ing poin o u he esea ch. 1 G ego y Shokhikyan, The Chu ch o A menia, 104 . Kiel-UP • h ps://doi.o g/10.38072/978-3-928794-95-4/p19 400 | Das kul u elle E be on A zach | Արցախի մշակութային ժառանգությունը 2. In oduc ion The ecumenical mo emen is a complex phenomenon and in o de o s udy he in ol emen o any chu ch, di e en le els and a eas ha e o be conside ed: The in e na ional le el, he egional le el, and he local le el. A he same ime, i needs o be conside ed ha he ecu- menical mo emen has di e en b anches o a eas o in ol emen : Bila e al and mul ila e al heological dialogues o common ac ion in p ac ical wo k. I will no be able o shed ligh on all hese le els, bu I will p o ide 1) a ew his o ical ac s o he A menian Apos olic Chu ch’s in ol emen on he in e na ional and he na ional ecumenical mo emen , and 2) I will y o ind some acks o A menian heological ecumenical hinking. O in o he wo ds: I will y o ind he speci ic A menian app oach o ecumenism. 3. Some his o ical ac s 3.1 In e na ional le el The beginning o he ecumenical mo emen is no mally seen in he ea ly 20 h cen u y wi h he appea ance o he wo mo emen s o Li e and Wo k and Fai h and O de . Especially in Fai h & O de (F&O), he A menian Apos olic Chu ch was in ol ed om he beginning: A all h ee i s wo ld con e ences o F&O (1927, 1937 and 1952), he Holy See o E chmiadzin was ep esen ed by consul an s. 2 A he ounding assembly o he WCC in 1948 in Ams e - dam, he A menian Chu ch was p esen wi h wo obse e s (A chbishop A a azd Sü meyan and Achimand i e Schno hk Kalus ian). A he second assembly o he WCC in E ans on, A - menian obse e s we e also p esen . 3 Howe e , only in 1962 he A menian Apos olic Chu ch became a membe o WCC, o p ecisely: The wo ca holicosa es E chmiadzin and Cilica became membe s. In 1964, Ca holicos Vasgen I. appoin ed a ep esen a i e o he Holy See in E chmiadzin o he Wo ld Council o Chu ches in Gene a. These ew examples show a li ely in e es in he ecumenical mo emen on he in e na ional le el al eady in he ea ly s age and – i seems – he e was a special in e es in he heological discou se as i is conduc ed in he F&O mo emen . 3.2 Na ional le el As I said be o e, he na ional le el also needs o be conside ed. Bu o easons o ime, I will only acknowledge he example o Ge many: Since 1996, he Diocese o he A menian Apos - olic Chu ch is a membe o he ›A bei sgemeinscha Ch is liche Ki chen in Deu schland‹ (ACK), which is he equi alen o na ional councils o chu ches in o he coun ies. 2 Vgl. Mes ob K. K iko ian, Die Geschich e de A menisch-Apos olischen Ki che, 52. 3 Ibid. Helle : The A menian Apos olic Chu ch and he ecumenical mo emen  | 401 In his con ex , he A menian Diocese in Ge many co-signed a decla a ion on he mu ual ecogni ion o bap ism, he so-called Magdebu g Decla a ion om 2007, which is conside ed an impo an s ep o he ecumenical ela ions be ween P o es an s, Ca holics, and O hodox. 3.3 Bila e al dialogues Ano he impo an ea u e in he ecumenical mo emen a e bila e al dialogues. The A men- ian Apos olic Chu ch is in ol ed in a numbe o such bila e al heological dialogues. Bu i is in his con ex ha he A menian Chu ch is ac ing wi hin he amily o O ien al O hodox Chu ches and no on i s own, as I men ioned in he beginning. The e o e, I will only b ie ly men ion he mos impo an o hese dialogues: Fi s o all, he dialogue be ween he O ien al O hodox Chu ches and he Eas e n O hodox Chu ches. I esul ed in he disco e y ha » hei di e ences a e mos ly seman ic, and ha he i s h ee ecumenical councils, which hey bo h accep , o m hei ›common he i age‹, and a i m › he apos olic ai h o he un- di ided Chu ch o he i s cen u ies’‹ […]« 4 To be men ioned is also he dialogue be ween O ien al O hodox Chu ches and he Roman Ca holic Chu ch, which was o mally es ablished in 2003. The e is also a bila e al dialogue wi h he Anglican Communion, o icially s a ed in 2002, and he e was a dialogue wi h he Wo ld Alliance o Re o med Chu ches (since 1993). In all hese dialogues he main issue was he ch is ological ques ions ela ed o he sepa a ion in he 5 h cen u y, as his is he issue ha uni es all he O ien al Chu ches in hei ela ionship wi h he o he chu ches. Di ec con ac s be ween he A menian Apos olic Chu ch wi h o he chu ches can be obse ed on he le el o chu ch leade ship. The e seem o be closes ela ions wi h he Ro- man Ca holic Chu ch as can be seen in a se ies o common s a emen s be ween di e en ca holicoi and he espec i e popes. They exp essed hei willingness o coope a ion and close ela ionship bu did no ega d heological issues. The la es such s a emen (2016), o example, aises he issue o pe secu ion o e hnic mino i ies and he p omo ion o ›Ch is ian alues‹, which a e especially ela ed o he common unde s anding o amily and ma iage as a bond be ween a man and a woman.5 Such common s a emen s ha e also been issued be ween he A chbishop o Can e bu y and he Ca holicos o all A menians, Ka ekin I. 4 A am I. Ca holicos o Cilicia, The A menian Chu ch, 181 . C . also: Mes ob K. K iko ian, Die A menische Ki che, 153 . 5 Gemeinsame E klä ung on Paps F anziskus und Ka holikos-Pa ia ch Ka ekin II., E schmiadzin, 26. Juni 2016, 1167 . 402 | Das kul u elle E be on A zach | Արցախի մշակութային ժառանգությունը 4. Basic ecumenical heological posi ion o he A menian Apos olic Chu ch 4.1 The unde s anding o Ch is ian uni y The ecumenical key ques ion nowadays, hough, is how Ch is ian uni y is unde s ood and en i- saged and how i can be achie ed. Ka ekin I. desc ibes uni y in ela ional e ms i s o all as an »a i ude o he spi i , a o ce wi h h ee poles: he uni y is a ela ionship wi h God, exis- ing o ideli y; i is a ela ionship wi h he o he s, wi h hose wo con ess he same Ch is ; hi dly i is a ideli y o one sel .« 6 A mo e echnical desc ip ion o uni y is gi en by Mes ob K iko ian who conside s he Sala- manca decla a ion o he Wo ld Council o Chu ches‘ Fai h and O de Commission in 1973 as an exac exp ession o he con ic ion and p ac ice o he A menian Chu ch. He quo es om his documen especially he ollowing sen ences: »The one Chu ch is o be en isioned as a concilia ellowship o local chu ches which a e hemsel es uly uni ed. In his concilia ellowship each local chu ch possesses, in com- munion wi h he o he s, he ullness o ca holici y, wi nesses o he same apos olic ai h and he e o e ecognizes he o he s as belonging o he same Chu ch o Ch is and guided by he same spi i .« 7 Acco ding o Mes ob K iko ian, he model o ecclesial uni y, which he A menian Chu ch is pleading o , en ails he idea o »uni y in di e si y«, 8 which he explains mo e de ailed as li ing as »sis e chu ches, which con ess he one ai h o he i s h ee ecumenical councils and ac in a ha monious communi y o li e and wi ness.« 9 He inds he p inciple o di e si y al eady in he wo ks o Ne ses Shno hali: »In he same way as he colou – black o whi e – does no do ha m o he body, as long as he na u e is heal hy, he di e si y o eas s and o he ecclesial adi ions do no ha m he souls o hose, who keep hei ai h sa e and heal hy.« 10 6 Gio anni Guaï a, Ka ékin 1e , 244 (engl. ansla ion DH). 7 Wha Kind o Uni y?, 121. 8 Mes ob K. K iko ian, Die A menische Ki che, 154. 9 Ibid., 155: »Schwes e ki chen […], die den einen Glauben de e s en d ei ökumenischen Konzilien bekennen und in eine ha monischen Gemeinscha des Lebens und des Zeugnisses wi ken.« 10 Ibid., 158. Helle : The A menian Apos olic Chu ch and he ecumenical mo emen  | 403 Di e si y as an in eg al pa o uni y is also he subjec o he e lec ions o he a o emen- ioned Ca holicos Ka ekin I., who poin s o he ac ha »di e si y, e en con lic s, di e gen- ces and con o e sies belonged o he li e o he ea lies Ch is ians«.11 Uni y is no uni o mi- y. Bu impo an o him is he consciousness o belong o ›one‹ Ch is , o ›one‹ Chu ch.12 In his sense, he Ca holicos ad oca es o a so o ecumenism o mu ual exchange when he says: »Ou holy chu ch needs, h ough na ow connec ions wi h o he chu ches, o unde s and he posi i e aspec s o he expe iences o o he chu ches as a new challenge o i s own mo i a ion and ac ion.« 13 Bo h Ka ekin I. and Mes ob K. K iko ian use he e m »sis e chu ches« 14 in his con ex in he sense o he basic ela ionship be ween he di e en chu ches which unde s and hemsel es as being in uni y. Ka ekin is con inced ha he only way o ecumenism is dialogue.15 And he basic a i- ude and impo an p econdi ion o such dialogue is lo e: »[…] i God is lo e […] we also need o be lo e, […] and, le us ne e o ge – lo e does no know di ision […]«.16 The e o e – in his mind – i is no he p ocess o exchange and e lec ion in he ecumenical deba e ha is he mos impo an elemen , bu he mani es a ion o his lo e. 4.2 The ques ion o in e communion/eucha is ic sha ing One o he key issues when alking abou uni y is he ques ion o eucha is ic communion, since he sepa a ion be ween chu ches becomes always mos isible a he eucha is ic able. As he A menian schola G ego y Shokhikyan obse es, »The Chu ch o A menia, unlike he Wes e n Chu ches, does no ha e an o icial and com- p ehensi e documen on he in e communion be ween he Chu ches.« 17 11 Ka ekin I, Kon on ie mi uns selbs . E ö nungs o ag bei de Zwei en Eu opäischen Ökumenischen Ve sammlung G az, 126 (»Die Viel al , ja soga die S ei igkei en, Di e genzen und Kon o e sen gehö en zum Leben de ühes en Ch is en.« Engl. ansl. DH). C . also: Guai a, 255. 12 Ka ekin I., ibid. 13 Ka ekin I., An i s-Enzyklika, 96. (»Unse e heilige Ki che muss du ch enge Ve bindung zu ande en Ki chen die posi i en Aspek e de E ah ungen ande e Ki chen als eine neue He aus o de ung ü ih e eigene Mo i a ion und Handlung e - s ehen.« Engl. ansl. DH) . 14 Mes ob K. K iko ian, Die A menische Ki che,155; Ka ekin I., An i s-Enzyklika, 91. 15 Gio anni Guaï a, Ka ékin 1e , 256 (»Je pense que la seule oie pou ésoud e ces p oblèmes es e es e oujou s le dialo- gue […] je suis con aincu que jus emen là où il y a de o es di e gences, il n’exis e pas d’au e moyen ch é ien que le dialogue, ai de espec mu uel e de la pa ience que Jésus a mani es ée a ec nous.« Engl. ansl. DH). 16 Gio anni Guaï a, Ka ékin 1e , 244. 17 G ego y Shokhikyan, The Chu ch o A menia, 106. 404 | Das kul u elle E be on A zach | Արցախի մշակութային ժառանգությունը This is p obably due o he ac ha »in e communion de ac o is no ega ded as a canonical o a dogma ic posi ion bu a pas o al issue, a ma e o economia.« 18 This means ha he p ac ice di e s in he di e en dioceses. These di e en posi ions can be g ouped in o wo, acco ding o Shokhikyan: a) he con ic ion ha Eucha is ic sha ing can happen only be ween he O ien al and Eas e n O hodox amily. b) Eucha is ic hospi ali y o e e y bap ized Ch is ian is possible as long as s/he con esses he Nicene/Apos les C eed and li es acco ding o Ch is ian mo al ideals. I is p obably in his spi i o he second g oup ha «A menian bishops a he CEC Assembly in T ondheim, No way, in 2003 in i ed all pa - icipan s, O hodox and P o es an , o ecei e communion du ing he A menian Li u gy which hey celeb a ed.« 19 In his con ex o he wide ecumenical mo emen , his was a su p ising ges u e o many P o es an s, bu om my own expe ience I know ha i is a p ac ice ha is common in some speci ic con ex s in which he A menian Chu ch is exis ing. Thus, as Shokhikyan w i es: »[…] he Chu ch o A menia is a a e Eas e n Chu ch ha locally p ac ices Eucha is ic hospi ali y owa ds all bap ized and ai h ul Ch is ians as long as hey a e good s anding membe s o hei chu ches.« 20 5. Conclusion The A menian Apos olic Chu ch has a ce ain adi ion o openness and an in e es in ecumenical engagemen . I shows some s a ing poin s o an indi idual app oach o ecumenism which ob i- ously canno be de eloped easily in he adi ional combina ion wi h he o he O ien al O hodox Chu ches. »Fo ming iendship and mu ual ecogni ion o holy li ing« 21 can be unde s ood as pe spec i e ha he A menian Chu ch could con ibu e o he p og ess o ecumenical hough . 18 Ibid., 106 . 19 Coun y P o ile A menia, h ps://www.oikoumene.o g/ esou ces/documen s/coun y-p o ile-a menia. 20 G ego y Shokhikyan, The Chu ch o A menia, 122. 21 This is also wha Shokhikyan means when he claims ha he ese a ions o A menian Ch is ians o ecei e Eucha is in o he chu ches would need o be o e come. Op.ci ., 122. Helle : The A menian Apos olic Chu ch and he ecumenical mo emen  | 405 Re e ences A am I. Ca holicos o Cilicia, The A menian Chu ch. An In oduc ion o A menian Ch is iani y, An elias 2016. Coun y p o ile A menia, h ps://www.oikoumene. o g/ esou ces/documen s/coun y-p o ile-a menia (las accessed: Feb ua y 2, 2023). Gemeinsame E klä ung on Paps F anziskus und Ka- holikos-Pa ia ch Ka ekin II., E schmiadzin, 26. Juni 2016, in: Dokumen e wachsende Übe eins immung. Säm liche Be ich e und Konsens ex e in e kon es- sionelle Gesp äche au Wel ebene, Band 5, 2011- 2019, Ed. by Johannes Oeldemann u.a., Pade bo n/ Leipzig: Boni a ius/EVA, 2011, 1166–1168. Guaï a, Gio anni, Ka ékin 1e . Ca holicos de ous les A - méniens, Mon ouge: Nou elle Ci é, 1998. Ka ekin I., Ka holikos Alle A menie , »Kon on ie mi uns selbs «. E ö nungs o ag bei de Zwei en Eu o- päischen Ökumenischen Ve sammlung G az, Juni 1997, in: S.H. Ka ekin I., Ka holikos Alle A menie , He aus o de ungen zu E neue ung. Fü ein neu- es Zei al e in de A menischen Ki che, Köln 1998, 108–129. Ka ekin I., An i s-Enzyklika, in: S.H. Ka ekin I. He - aus o de ungen zu E neue ung, op.ci ., 89–98. K iko ian, Mes ob K., Die Geschich e de A menisch- Apos olischen Ki che, in: F ied ich Heye (Hg.), Die Ki che A meniens. Eine Volkski che zwischen Os und Wes , S u ga : E angelisches Ve lagswe k, 1978. K iko ian, Mes ob K., Die A menische Ki che, F ank u u.a.: Pe e Lang, 2007. Shokhikyan, G ego y, The Chu ch o A menia and he Sac amen al Sha ing. His o ical Ho izon, Fu u e Pe spec i es, in: RES 14,1 (2022), 100–122. Wha Kind o Uni y?, Fai h & O de Pape No. 69, WCC 1974. Au ho Re . D . Dagma Helle Kon essionskundliches Ins i u des E . Bundes, Bensheim, Deu schland, dagma .helle @ki-eb.de Open Access This pape is published unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion–Sha eAlike 4.0 In e na ional license (CC BY-SA 4.0). Please no e ha indi idual, app op ia ely ma ked pa s o he pape may be excluded om he license men ioned o may be subjec o o he copy igh condi ions. I such hi d pa y ma e ial is no unde he C ea i e Commons license, any copying, edi ing o public ep oduc ion is only pe mi ed wi h he p io consen o he espec i e copy igh owne o on he basis o ele an legal au ho iza ion egula ions.