Armenian Apostolic Church Leader Aram I Renews Call for Vatican III in Rome, Italy

His Holiness Aram I, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Lebanon, has renewed his appeal to the Vatican for another ecumenical council, which he called Vatican III. He made the remarks at a recent press conference with journalists in Rome and said he has raised the appeal several times in the past.

According to Aram I, no pope has rejected the request. Instead, the popes have shared their arguments and concerns. He said they noted that the decisions of Vatican II have not yet been fully implemented.

The Armenian patriarch acknowledged that patience is needed while Rome continues to integrate Vatican II into the life of the Church. He nonetheless urged that a new council be convened to address the radical changes that have occurred since the last council closed in 1965.

Aram I said he did not presume to speak for the Catholic Church, but in his view the world has changed. He pointed to many issues, challenges and trends that, in his words, question the mission of the Church, Christian values and the credibility of the Church.

He identified the digital age and the rise of artificial intelligence as among the greatest challenges today. He said AI has quickly come to dominate almost every sphere of human life, offering both promise and peril, and that the questions it raises should concern all Christians, both Western and Eastern.

Aram I also argued that, if Vatican III were convened, all churches would in a sense take part, because in a globalized world they can no longer regard one another’s problems as separate from their own. He said the issues of the 21st century demand unity in the Church, including between Rome and the Armenian Church, which separated after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (Psalm 133:1).

Aram I disclosed that he and Pope Leo XIV discussed other topics with Vatican officials as well. These included efforts to find a common date for celebrating Easter and the challenges facing Christians in the Middle East.

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