Very Rev. Father Khoren Hovhannisyan

Speech at a conference entitled “Interreligious Dialogue for Peace”

Organized by Georgia’s State Agency for Religious Issues

The freedom of the will is a priceless gift bestowed on man through the Lord's Grace. We live in a diverse world: there are many different religious organizations and denominations along with traditional religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). In the course of history, humankind has been shaken by war, genocide and resettlement over and over again. The world is not at peace today, the Middle East is in flames, a group of people kills and annihilates others in the name of God and in the name of religion, destroys places of worship and historic-cultural monuments of outstanding universal significance, however these villains have nothing to do with God. Unfortunately, humanity has not learned to respect, tolerate and love one another in the name of God and in the name of religion.

(A Page from the History of Missionary Outreach of Armenians of India)

A significant role has always been attached to the missionaries (nviraks) of the Mother See in the spiritual and cultural life of the Armenian people.  This fact was in its turn conditioned by the exceptional role played by the Holy Etchmiadzin in preservation of the nation, as a symbol of the national spiritual unity of the Armenian people. This spiritual unity was expressed in sending, once in seven years, the Chrism (Muron) from the Holy Etchmiadzin to the Armenians living throughout the world, which as a sacrament of chrismation, was perceived as a national seal of the Armenians. Every Armenian baptised with the Chrism, was linked, through a mystical ray, with Holy Etchmiadzin and Armenia. As Bishop Karapet Ter-Mkrtchian, one of the most prominent figures of our church in the beginning of the 20th century, writes:  “The Holy Muron is the closest and the strongest uniting solder for the Armenians living throughout the world. The Holy Muron cleans, with the divine power, our sinful souls and clears the way for us to the eternal heaven.”1

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”—Genesis 1:27

We live in times when the traditional family values and institution of family in general is jeopardized.

The image of God is both male and female and is reflected in a godly union between male and female where the creative power of God, His life-giving, His self-giving and His moral nature are perfectly expressed. This is only possible in a heterosexual union.

When God created a partner for Adam He created Eve—not another Adam. This means that perfect partnership requires some level of difference as well as a level of similarity so great that Adam could cry out loudly, ”This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”.

Sexual intimacy between a man and a woman is the normal method of male/female bonding (emotionally and physically) because it corresponds to the design of our bodies and because it is the normal means by which offspring are created.