Document
Your Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,
Your Eminence Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, Locum Tenens,
Respected members of the Holy Synod of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem,
Dear Brothers of the Brotherhood of St. James,
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live…
John 11:25
It is with great sorrow that we received the news of the passing away of His Beatitude Patriarch Torkom II on Friday, October 12, 2012. The WCC mourns his death as it is a loss to the Armenians all over the world, and to the Christians in the Middle East to whom he dedicated his whole life and ministry in Christ.
During my several visits to Jerusalem, I had the honour and opportunity to meet with His Beatitude and be inspired by his deep pastoral experience and wisdom and his devotion to the service of the Lord. Being himself a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, and born in a refugee camp near Baghdad, made him sensitive to and compassionate in regard to the sufferings of both Palestinian and Israeli peoples. His Beatitude’s contributions towards reconciliation and peace with justice in the Holy Land will be remembered by all the churches for a long time.
With this message, we wish to express to Your Holiness and to the Brotherhood of St. James our deepest sympathy during these moments, hoping that our incarnated loving and merciful Lord will give you all the consolation and hope you need.
May His Beatitude Torkom II rest in peace, and his memory remain kept in the Lord's mind and in the heart of the ecumenical family.
Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit
WCC general secretary
