What is Armenian Catholic Church?
[[File:Armenian Catholic Patriarchate, Bzoummar, Lebanon (2).JPG|thumb|Headquarters of the Church, in Bzoummar.]] The '''Armenian Catholic Church''' is an [[Eastern Catholic churches|Eastern Catholic church]] ''[[sui juris]]'' within the [[Catholic Church]]. Its headquarters are in [[Bzoummar, Lebanon]]. The union was established in the [[Council of Florence]], in 1439. During the [[Armenian Genocide]], 1915-1918, its followers were scattered, mainly to [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. Many Armenians also fled to [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and [[Ukraine]]. In 1991, after the fall of the [[Iron Curtain]], [[Pope John Paul II]] merged the churches in Georgia and Ukraine with those in Armenia. He created a new [[eparchy]] of Armenia and [[Eastern Europe]]. There is a [[seminary]] in [[Gyumri]], the largest city in Armenia. At the same time Catholic Armenians in Georgia de facto entered this newly formed [[diocese]].The city of Gyumri was chosen because most Catholic Armenians live in the north of the country. Many Armenians emigrated to the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], mainly in the 1970s. For this reason, [[Pope Benedict XVI]] created a [[diocese]] for these people. It is responsible for about 35.000 people in the US, and about 10.000 in Canada. The church uses the [[Armenian Rite]] and the [[Armenian language]] for its services. The current [[Patriarch]] of the church is [[Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni]]. == Related pages == *[[Armenian Apostolic Church]] == Other websites == *[http://www.armeniancatholic.org/ Official web site] *[http://www.ArmenianChurchLibrary.com Armenian Apostolic Church Library] {{religion-stub}} [[Category:Eastern Catholicism]]