Catholicos Aram I hosted Lebanese MP Michel Elias Murr and his delegation on June 19.

The visit affirmed respect for the Lebanese Armenian community and their willingness to serve.

Catholicos Aram I welcomed the delegation and recalled that MP Murr’s grandfather—whose name he bears and who served Lebanon as both minister and member of parliament—had long been a friend of the Armenian community. The Catholicos expressed hope that MP Murr would carry on that legacy.

On June 18, Catholicos Aram I received Habib Afram, President of the Syriac League and Advisor on Human Rights and Interfaith Dialogue to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Mr. Afram and His Holiness discussed ways to reorganize and strengthen cooperation between Christian and Islamic communities, as well as among Christian leagues. 

Barouyr Der Ghougassian, Chancellor of the Prelacy of Lebanon, was appointed the Armenian community’s representative to the League, succeeding Dr. Jean Salmanian, a Saint Joseph University lecturer who had held the role for many years.