Structure and leadership

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the central religious authority for the Armenian Orthodox population in the Republic of Armenia as well as for Armenian Orthodox communities worldwide.

It is headed by a  Catholicos  (the plural isCatholicoi). Although it is traditional in Eastern churches for the supreme head of the church to be named ‘Patriarch’, in the Armenian Apostolic Church hierarchy, the position of the Catholicos is higher than that of the Patriarch. The Armenian Apostolic Church presently has two catholicoi (Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and Aram I , Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia), and two patriarchs, plus primates, archbishops   and bishops, lower clergy and laity serving the Church.

The  Catholicos of All Armenians  represents the centralised authority of the Armenian Church. He is the supreme judge and the head of the legislative body. He is President of the Supreme Spiritual Council as well as the  College of Bishops . Ordination of bishops, blessing of  Holy Chrism , proclamation of feasts, invitation and dismissal of National-ecclesiastical assemblies, issuing decrees concerning the administration of the Armenian Church and establishing dioceses are part of his responsibilities.

Both clergy and lay are involved in the administrative structure of the Church. Led by Karekin II, the spiritual and administrative work of the Armenian Church is carried out in the Republic of Armenia in the areas of religion, preparation of clergy, Christian education, construction of new churches, social services, and ecumenical activities. Underneath this administrative structure are the hierarchical sees:

The Catholicossate of the Great House of Cilicia   located in Antelias , Lebanon,  is a regional See with current jurisdiction of the Dioceses of Lebanon, Syria and  Cyprus  as temporarily granted to her by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1929, is led by Catholicos Aram I.

The  Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem which has jurisdiction over all of the Holy Lands and the Diocese of Jordan, is led by Patriarch Archbishop  Nourhan Manougian .

The Armenian Patriarchate of Constaniople  and All of Turkey, which has jurisdiction in the modern day Republic of Turkey, is led by Patriarch Archbishop Maestro Mutafyan  .

The three historic aforementioned hierarchal sees administer to the Dioceses under their jurisdiction as they see fit, however, the supremacy of the Catholicosate of All Armenians in all spiritual matters remains pre-eminent.

In addition to the responsibilities of overseeing their respective Dioceses, each hierarchical See, and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, has a Monastic Brotherhood.

Mane Dunamalyan 

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