ANTELIAS - His Holiness Catholicos Aram I held a series of high-level meetings at the Mother See in Antelias on Thursday, November 5, 2026, welcoming prominent international church leaders to advance theological cooperation and address pressing ecumenical challenges. The meetings took place on the sidelines of an ongoing international ecumenical conference hosted at the Catholicosate.

His Holiness first met with Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and Titular Archbishop of Dolia. The discussions centered on deepening the historical cooperation between the Vatican and the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia. The two leaders also assessed the ongoing friction between the Syriac Patriarchate of Antioch and the Syriac Church of India, evaluating how these internal disputes impact the broader theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Later in the day, Catholicos Aram I received Reverend Dr. Dirk Lange, Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations at the Lutheran World Federation. The session served to review current trends in the global ecumenical movement and recognize the significant contributions of Lutheran churches. During the meeting, Dr. Lange proposed that the Council of Lutheran Churches and the Catholicosate jointly organize upcoming theological and ethical forums. He further requested the Catholicos's guidance and input on a new initiative aimed at launching structured theological discussions between the Lutheran and Oriental Orthodox families.

Additionally, Reverend Christoph Schuler, representing the Old Catholic Church, met with His Holiness to propose a resumption of formal discussions on contemporary ethical issues. The proposed dialogue seeks to build upon an ecumenical exchange originally initiated years ago between the Old Catholic Church and the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia.