Conference to feature patriarch of Armenian faith this weekend

By Hemesh Patel
Daily Bruin Reporter

The present leader of a 1,700-year-old faith will come to UCLA
on Friday.

Catholicos Aram I, one of the two spiritual leaders of the
Armenian Church, will address scholars from Europe and North
America at a two-day conference focusing on the historic region of
Cilicia in Armenia.

“This is his first patriarchal visit to California since
his enthronement as patriarch several years ago,” said
Richard Hovannisian, professor of history, who is organizing the
event.

The patriarch is akin to the pope for Roman Catholics and the
Dalai Lama for Tibetan Buddhists.

Friday, the conference will discuss such issues as the
historical geography of Cilicia and the fall of the Armenian
kingdom.

Saturday, topics at the event will include the art of Cilician
Armenia and a presentation on Armenian architecture.

The patriarch will preside and speak during both days of the
conference.

The patriarch is originally from Cilicia, where the last
Armenian kingdom existed between the 11th and 14th centuries.

Hovannisian said large numbers of Armenians were killed or
driven out of Cilicia by the Turkish government between 1915 and
1922, during what is known as the Armenian Genocide.

There are virtually no Armenians remaining in Cilicia or in any
part of the historic Armenian territories that are presently
included in the eastern half of Turkey, he said.

“Los Angeles County now has the largest Armenian
population outside of Armenia itself, and for them the church plays
an important role far beyond the spiritual,” Hovannisian
said.

Because the Armenian Church has been in existence for so long,
many see it as a symbol of hope during hard times, especially in
light of the genocide.

“Religion has served as a continuity and has managed to
get us through the hard times,” said Ani Shabazian, a
second-year graduate student in psychology.

The Armenian community in Los Angeles and at UCLA is anxiously
awaiting the arrival of their spiritual leader.

“He symbolizes, to us, centuries of religion and culture
that the Armenians have in common,” said first-year biology
student Marine Chefteyan.

Chefteyan said she has never met the patriarch and looks forward
to seeing him up close.

For many, the patriarch is a spiritual guide and represents a
symbol for unification among the Armenian community in Los
Angeles.

“I like to think I’m a spiritual person,”
Shabazian said. “I think his holiness keeps my mind in
focus.”

The church, which is similar to the Episcopalian faith,
currently has two patriarchs, because of historic reasons.

While the original patriarch was from Cilicia, a second
patriarch was elected in Etchmiadzin, the birthplace of
Christianity in Armenia.

“It was quite difficult to travel in those days from city
to city ““ it would have taken more than a few months to
travel between Cilica and Etchmiadzin,” said Varoujan Der
Simonian, member of the central executive council of western
prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

He said the Cilician patriarch moved to Lebanon during the
genocide.

“These two heads are both equally important,”
Shabazian said.

The Armenian Church developed as a separate branch of
Christianity at the beginning of the fourth century.

Hovannisian said Armenia was the first country to adopt
Christianity as the official religion of a state and the
people’s history dates back to early antiquity.

In order to address the lack of teaching Armenian issues in the
past, Hovannisian started the international conference series three
years ago on historic Armenian cities and provinces. This year
marks the 40th anniversary of Armenian Studies at UCLA.

“When I was in the UC system at Berkeley, and then at
UCLA, there was not a single course anywhere in the country on
Armenian history,” Hovannisian said.

“In my case, I have taught Armenian history and studies
for four decades without ever having had the opportunity to take a
formal course in the field,” he continued.

The conference will begin Friday morning in Schoenberg Hall, and
will conclude Saturday evening in Dickson auditorium. The
conference will last from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.