Karekin II will appear at a ceremony at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in a sign of warming relations with Roman Catholics.
By Claudia Zequeira, Times Staff Writer
Welcomed by faithful supporters, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, the highest ranking official in the Armenian Apostolic Church, has begun a tour of California that will include visits to schools and hospitals and a special service Sunday at the Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Los Angeles.
Karekin’s trip began Thursday with a procession at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Costa Mesa, where he was received by dozens of clergymen and enthusiastic parishioners.
Several women received blessings from Karekin as he entered the church.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Talar Zorayan, 34. It’s a good way for us to stay Armenian.”
On Saturday, Karekin is expected to bless the foundation stones of a “Mother Cathedral,” a church in Burbank that eventually will serve as the seat of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.
The consecration of the $5-million project is largely symbolic, with construction expected to begin a year from now, church officials said.
Karekin, who was elected in 1999 and is based in the Armenian holy city of Etchmiadzin, is making his second trip to California, home to an Armenian and Armenian American population estimated at 500,000 to 700,000. A second Armenian Catholicos, His Holiness Aram I, is based in Beirut and also commands loyalties in the Armenian diaspora, but more U.S. Armenians are believed to be affiliated with Karekin’s branch.
Karekin is planning to stop at Glendale High School on Monday evening after regular class hours.
He also will visit Glendale Adventist Medical Center and Glendale Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Ara Tavitian said the visits are a token of appreciation to California doctors and other healthcare providers who have helped Armenians in California and in Armenia over the years.
On Sunday, Karekin will appear at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the seat of the three-county Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Cardinal Roger Mahony is expected to attend the 3 p.m. ceremony.
“This is the first non-Catholic Eucharistic service in our cathedral,” said Father Alexei Smith, an interreligious officer with the archdiocese.
Smith said the Armenians’ use of the Catholic cathedral made sense to accommodate a large crowd.
But he added that the gesture went beyond the practical.
“I believe it’s not only the size of our cathedral,” Smith said. “Most especially, it’s our level of acceptance of each other.”
After leaving Los Angeles on June 10, Karekin is scheduled to travel to Sacramento, Fresno, San Francisco and Detroit.
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