Hovhannes Bedros XVIII Kasparian
Encyclopedia
Hovhannes Bedros XVIII Kasparian (in Armenian
Յովհաննէս Պետրոս ԺԸ Գասպարեան) English
: John Petros XVIII Kasparian, French
: Jean Pierre XVIII Kasparian (January 20, 1927 – January 16, 2011) was the Armenian Catholic
Catholicos
-Patriarch of Cilicia from 1982 to 1998 when he retired. He died 13 years after his retirement.
He was born in Cairo
, Egypt
and studied starting 1943 at the Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar
. In 1946 he studied Philosophy and Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome
, Italy
.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1952 and was vice-president of the Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar and taught at Levonian School in Rome until 1957 when he was named as head of the Egyptian Armenian Catholic community. He was ordained as archbishop in 1972 and became Archbishop of Baghdad of the Armenian Catholic Church in Iraq starting 25 February 1973.
He was elected as the Catlicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church in a synod meeting on 5 August 1982. The official ceremony was held in Bzommar, Lebanon on on 12 September 1982. He ruled in difficult times of the Lebanese Civil War
and its aftermath. After the declaration of the independence of Armenia, he also established a bishopric for the Armenian Catholics in Armenia
, Georgia
and its Armenian region of Javakheti
.
Patriarch Kasparian retired in 1998 upon reaching the obligatory of 70 years according to the rules of the Armenian Catholic Church and withdrew to Bzommar. He died after a long illness on January 16, 2011 in Lebanon
.
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
Յովհաննէս Պետրոս ԺԸ Գասպարեան) English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: John Petros XVIII Kasparian, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Jean Pierre XVIII Kasparian (January 20, 1927 – January 16, 2011) was the Armenian Catholic
Armenian Catholic Church
|- |The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris in union with the other Eastern Rite, Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Catholics who accept the Bishop of Rome as spiritual leader of the Church. It is regulated by Eastern canon law...
Catholicos
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
-Patriarch of Cilicia from 1982 to 1998 when he retired. He died 13 years after his retirement.
He was born in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and studied starting 1943 at the Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar
Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar
The Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar is a Catholic religious order and an Institute of Consecrated Life and was founded in 1749. Jean Pierre XVIII Kasparian, who was a member of the religious order, was Patriarch of Cilicia from 1982-1998....
. In 1946 he studied Philosophy and Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1952 and was vice-president of the Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar and taught at Levonian School in Rome until 1957 when he was named as head of the Egyptian Armenian Catholic community. He was ordained as archbishop in 1972 and became Archbishop of Baghdad of the Armenian Catholic Church in Iraq starting 25 February 1973.
He was elected as the Catlicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church in a synod meeting on 5 August 1982. The official ceremony was held in Bzommar, Lebanon on on 12 September 1982. He ruled in difficult times of the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
and its aftermath. After the declaration of the independence of Armenia, he also established a bishopric for the Armenian Catholics in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and its Armenian region of Javakheti
Javakheti
Javakheti is a historical region of the nation of Georgia, in the southeastern part of the country's Samtskhe-Javakheti province. Today it comprises the Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda municipal territories. It was historically bordered in the west with both sides of the Mtkvari river, in the north,...
.
Patriarch Kasparian retired in 1998 upon reaching the obligatory of 70 years according to the rules of the Armenian Catholic Church and withdrew to Bzommar. He died after a long illness on January 16, 2011 in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.