Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland Bishop Hovakim Manukyan has urged Christians to live out unity and stand together for justice at a major ecumenical service in Dublin marking the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The service was organised by the Dublin Council of Churches and hosted at St Thomas Indian Orthodox Church, bringing together worshippers and church leaders.
Preaching at the service, Bishop Hovakim reflected on this year’s theme, “One Body, One Spirit” from the biblical letter to the Ephesians, saying that Christian unity was not something to be manufactured by human effort, but a gift from God which believers are called to protect and make visible in a divided world.
Bishop Hovakim highlighted the long history of the Armenian Church, and spoke of the Church’s witness through centuries of persecution, exile, and Genocide, and said that suffering remains part of the Armenian Christian experience today. He drew attention to the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the destruction of historic Christian heritage sites, the continued imprisonment of Armenians in Azerbaijan, and the arrest of senior clergy in Armenia. Bishop Hovakim called on Christians to pray for those imprisoned for speaking out in defence of justice.
The service included scripture readings from the books of Isaiah and Ephesians, candle-lighting symbolising Christ as the Light of the world, and prayers for peace in conflict zones. Special prayers were offered for Armenia, Ukraine, Palestine, and Iran, as well as for all those affected by war and displacement.
Representatives from twelve Christian traditions took part, including Archbishop Farrell of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Michael Jackson of the Church of Ireland, and clergy and delegates from the Antiochian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Jacobite Syrian Orthodox, St Thomas Indian Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, and Salvation Army communities. Members of the Armenian community in Ireland also joined Bishop Hovakim at the service.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity continues throughout the week with services and events across the country.
Read the full press release: https://armenianchurch.org.uk/bishop-hovakim-calls-for-unity-and-justice-at-dublin-ecumenical-service/
