On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 12:00 PM, in the Aula Magna of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, a public lecture, "Challenges Facing the Churches in the Middle East," will be given by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia - Holy See of Cilicia (Lebanon).
His Holiness Aram I was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1947. He studied at the Antelias Armenian Theological Seminary, the Near East School of Theology (Lebanon), the American University of Beirut, the Bossey Ecumenical Institute (Switzerland), and Fordham University (New York, USA). His main areas of specialization are philosophy, systematic theology, and the history of the Near Eastern Church. He holds a Master of Theology (M. Div.), a Master of Theology (S.T.M.), a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and several honorary degrees.
On June 28, 1995, he was elected Catholicos by the Electoral Assembly of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, and was consecrated on July 1, 1995.
