[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 96 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S8164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN I, CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS

 Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to an 
extraordinary man and religious leader, His Holiness Karekin I, 
Catholicos of All Armenians, who passed away on June 29.
  I was proud to call His Holiness my friend. He was an inspiration to 
all who knew him. He was loved and respected by the Armenian people the 
world over, and his courage, intelligence, wisdom, and compassion were 
renowned in international religious circles.
  His Holiness dedicated his life to the Armenian people. He worked 
skillfully for Armenia's freedom, and had the noble distinction of 
being the first Catholicos of the Armenian people elected in the newly 
independent Republic of Armenia. In this era, he has worked tirelessly 
and effectively for the spiritual revival of the Armenian Apostolic 
Church in Armenia.
  He was also a warm and humble man, gifted with wit and humor, who 
related easily with people from all backgrounds and from all walks of 
life.
  His extraordinary life began in the village of Kessab in Syria in 
1932. He studied at a seminary in Lebanon in the late 1940s, and 
entered the celibate order of the Church in 1952. A gifted student, he 
went on to study theology at Oxford University. Recognized for his 
leadership qualities, he quickly rose through the clerical ranks, 
leading church dioceses in Iran and the United States. In 1977 he was 
elected Catholicos of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, based in Antelias, 
Lebanon. In 1995, he was elected Supreme Catholicos of the Armenian 
people, based in Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia.
  From July 6 to July 8, Armenia will be holding a period of national 
mourning in honor of this great man of faith. The Armenian people 
throughout the world are mourning his death and paying tribute to his 
extraordinary life. His remarkable legacy will endure for generations 
to come.

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