Archbishop Nathan Hovannisian, head of Lviv’s Armenian community, has been named the Patriarchal Exarch to the Armenian Apostolic Church in Great Britain. Though Bishop Nathan had been head of the Lviv community for a decade, its historical cathedral was only recently returned to the Armenian Diaspora in western Ukraine. (The premises were being used to store pictures which were part of the collection of a local museum.) Because of his new position, Bishop Nathan will not be able to celebrate Liturgy in the restored cathedral.
Lviv News reported the words of Bishop Nathan’s last sermon in Lviv: «We have lived and worked together for more than 10 years. In this short period, we learned much and accomplished much. In particular, we learned how to live and work according to the rules of Christian life. But much still remains to be done. We must open our hearts and souls to God and to our neighbors. Constantly bear in mind the human vocation and its place on earth. Only then will we be able to receive our God’s blessing and find our place in life.» Catholicos Karekin, head of the worldwide Armenian Apostolic Church, has designated Archbishop Gregory Buniatian new head of the Church’s Ukrainian diocese. On 1 February he assumed his new responsibilities.