Thousands of faithful and ecclesiastical and political figures witnessed the arrival of the remains of the cardinal, now buried in the cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator. The process of beatification is awaited. Prime Minister Mikati hopes that through his intercession the Land of the Cedars will overcome the political and institutional crisis.
Beirut () – In front of the stunned and incredulous gazes of several thousand Lebanese members of the Armenian community, gathered in Martyrs’ Square in the centre of Beirut, and of numerous civil and religious dignitaries, the Armenian Catholic Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian showed this “miracle of holiness.” The preserved body of his predecessor and Cardinal Grégoire Pierre XXV Aghagianian (1895-1971), although without the rite of embalming. Among the government and church authorities present yesterday afternoon were the Lebanese interim Prime Minister, Nagib Mikati, and the Maronite Patriarch, Card. Beshara Raï.
Carried directly from Rafic Hariri International Airport to Martyrs’ Square by men representing all faiths, the catafalque, surrounded by a glass coffin, in which the remains of the Patriarch rest, passed through the central aisle. On either side, long rows of chairs packed with the faithful were seen, amid clouds of incense and confetti. Displayed during the ceremony in the centre of a stucco reproduction of the entrance portal of the Bzommar convent, the seat of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of Lebanon, the body was taken at the end of the service to the Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator, not far away.
No further public viewing ceremony is currently planned, pending the successful conclusion of the beatification process. To date, the deceased cardinal is considered “simply” venerable, or servant of God, by virtue of the canonical process opened in Rome in 2022, a title that awaits in any case the “heroic virtues” of the man.
The transfer took place at the express request of Cardinal Aghagianian during his lifetime. Born in Georgia in 1895, he studied in Rome from a young age and was a brilliant student. Over time, he was able to rise in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, although he never forgot his Armenian origins and was unable to return to his native country, which had in the meantime become a Soviet Republic. Naturalized Lebanese at the time of independence in 1943, when he had already been elected Patriarch of the Armenian Catholics, one of his last wishes expressed during his lifetime was to be buried on Lebanese soil, in Bzommar. The cardinal led the Armenian Catholic Church between 1937 and 1962, before leaving it in freer hands to devote himself to the preparations for the Second Vatican Council.
Although no further exhibitions are planned, Patriarch Minassian has arranged for the tomb to be made accessible to the faithful, having personally worked on the exhumation of the previous burial place, a crypt in the Armenian church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino in Rome. Because as a young seminarian, he himself had kept vigil over the deceased cardinal, witnessing a mysterious phenomenon: the lifeless body was sweating, but his superiors at the time had ordered him to ignore it. In silence, the current head of the Armenian Church kept the secret within himself, thinking it was a sign from God, as confirmed by the exhumation in 2022, in view of the cause for beatification, with the remains still intact as a sign of holiness. The Patriarch held numerous offices under the pontificates of Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI, including that of head of the Dicastery for the Evangelisation of Peoples (Propaganda Fide) between 1958 and 1970, as well as that of moderator during the Council. He was also responsible for numerous schools, churches, orphanages and dispensaries.
The “small flock” that escaped genocide
He too was part of the “small flock” that escaped the Armenian genocide of 1915 and had chosen Lebanon as their second homeland. A nation, as Patriarch Minassian’s words also suggest, that remains a land of holiness, of Islamic-Christian encounter, a “message of pluralism” for East and West, as St. John Paul II said, despite the difficulties. “All Lebanese,” said Acting Prime Minister Mikati, “hope that with the arrival of the mortal remains of Patriarch Aghagianian, a white smoke will rise from this region to announce the good news of the election of a new President of the Republic.”
It is from the Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator and from above, like Therese of Lisieux who promised to “spend my Heaven doing good on earth” that Cardinal Aghagianian will help those who trust in his intercession. He had promised this to those who came to his bedside in the last days of his life after losing their sight. “Now I can do nothing more for you,” he said. “But, God willing, I will be able to do so after death.” “Before taking his last breath,” Patriarch Minassian concluded with an anecdote, the cardinal uttered the words “I am thirsty, as your Master did.” [Jesús] on the cross.” And when he saw that they were bringing him the glass of water, he replied: “I thirst for your holiness.” “This,” he concludes, “was also his last recommendation.”
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