During the initial phase of the Ecumenical Movement, and later following the formation of the World Council of Churches, the Armenian Apostolic Church actively participated in the movement, first as an observer and subsequently as a full member.
Since 1962, the Armenian Apostolic Church has been a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and since 1977, it has been an official member of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). Over time, it has also joined various regional, sub-regional, national, interchurch, and other ecumenical organizations.
To regulate and strengthen interchurch relations, in 1973, by the patriarchal directive of His Holiness Catholicos Vazgen I, the Department of Interchurch Relations was established within the Secretariat of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. In 1999, under the directive of His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II, the department was reorganized.
In 2011, the Consultative Interchurch Theological Council of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin was established alongside the Department of Interchurch Relations to prepare responses on interchurch-theological matters under the Patriarch’s instruction and express the Mother See’s viewpoints on arising interchurch and interfaith issues.
In 2012, the Office of Liturgical and Conceptual Issues was created within the Department of Interchurch Relations. Since 2013, the department has also included offices addressing doctrinal, social, moral, and conceptual issues, as well as relations with the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Churches.
Today, the department is responsible for expanding and coordinating the Church’s relations with sister churches and other religious organizations, while ensuring the Armenian Church’s active participation in the ecumenical movement. The department also seeks to present the Armenian Church to the world through its Christian values and rich spiritual heritage.
Director - Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Garegin Hambardzumyan
Tel: +374-10-517-260
Secretariat: +374-10-517-261
+374-10-517-262
+374-10-517-263