Future Saint of the Order, Gregorio Pietro XV Agagianian (Bailiff Grand Cross, Honor and Devotion)

September 12^th marked seminal events for the Armenian community, Lebanon, the Order of Malta, and the world. As part of his cause for canonization, the incorrupt, mortal remains of Servant of God Cardinal Gregorio Pietro XV Agagianian (Կարտինալ Գրիգոր Պետրոս ԺԵ Աղաճանեան) were transferred from his tomb in Rome to a newly dedicated chapel in the Armenian Catholic Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory in Beirut. The preparations for this solemn event were surrounded by profound joy and love.

On the morning of the 12th of September, on the invitation of the current Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia, Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian, I represented my family in a quiet ceremony at St. Nicolo in Tolentino as the cardinal began his trip back to Beirut. As our small group left the church in Rome and made its way to the airport, I found myself thinking of his first trip from his home in Akhaltsikhe to Rome at the age of 11 . I think of the many emotions that he and his mother must have experienced. At that moment, they could have never imagined the places he would see, the events he would influence, or the lives he would change. I could not help but think how he is still influencing the world.

In his many travels representing the Holy Father around the globe, Cardinal Agagianian was met with crowds from all faiths and all walks of life. However, I think even he would be surprised by the crowds that greeted him on his return to Lebanon. Accompanied from Rome by the current Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian, he was met at the airport in Beirut with full state honors. Arriving in Beirut’s Martyr’s Square, the cardinal was greeted by a crowd of more than 6,000 people. His casket was carried in procession by 12 Lebanese men from different religious groups as a symbol of interfaith unity. This joyous ceremony brought together people from many faiths, cultures, and walks of life. It gave a glimpse of unity and peace that can transcend differences.

But who was Cardinal Agagianian? He was not only a pastor for the Armenian Catholic Church, during some of its most tragic history but one for the wider Catholic Church. Ordained a priest in 1917, he served in his home parishes until he returned to Rome in 1921 to become assistant rector of the Pontifical Armenian College in Rome. He was made rector in 1932. In 1937 he was elected patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. It should be noted that the Armenian Catholic Church is one of the 24 sui juris churches within the Catholic Church. The largest of these is the Latin church. The 23 remaining churches are of the Eastern rites, of either Alexandrine, Antiochian, Byzantine, or Armenian origin. The Armenian rite is unique among them as it is a genus with no other specific rites within it; it is, therefore, sui generis. Since 1928, Beirut has been the ecclesiastical center of the Armenian Catholic Church.

Cardinal Agagianian served as the patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church from 1937 to 1962, helping to revitalize it after major losses during the Armenian Genocide. Yet his impact reached beyond the Armenian Church to the larger Catholic Church. A polyglot who spoke eight languages, his intellect and spirituality were recognized and led him to key roles in the Church. In 1946 he was made a cardinal, one of only two Armenians in history. As a cardinal he participated in two papal conclaves, in 1958 and in 1963, and was considered papabile. From 1958 to 1970, Cardinal Agagianian served as the prefect of the Congregation of the Faith.  His diverse background as an Armenian who rose to prominence in Rome made him a symbol of the unity of East and West in the Church.

As the prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith he had the responsibility for all Catholic missionary work and related activities. For him, this was more than an administrative role. He actively went out to the missionary areas in some of, what were then, the most remote areas of the world. He represented the pope around the world during a time when the pope did not travel. His extensive travels around the world gave him first-hand knowledge of missionary areas, and opened the eyes of the Church to these areas. His experience as head of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the Church globally.

Through his work Cardinal Agagianian personified the two lungs of the Catholic Church, the East and the West. His contributions were marked by his leadership, his efforts in promoting the Church’s global mission, and his dedication to preserving the traditions of the Eastern Catholic churches. Reminding everyone of their responsibility to proclaim the Gospel, Cardinal Agagianian once wrote, “The world needs the truth, and especially the world that has not yet known Christ and does not yet enjoy his benefits, and you are, in the name and by authority of Christ and the church, the heralds of the word of truth and life to the extremes borders of the world.”

Cardinal Agagianian died in Rome in 1971. His cause for beatification was officially opened on October 28, 2022. As part of this process his body was exhumed, and he was discovered to be incorrupt.