Apart from Armenia, Georgia and Russia, the Armenian Catholic Church is found widely in the
Armenian diaspora, notably in Lebanon (where the Armenian Catholic Church is headquartered), Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, France, U.S.A., Canada, Argentina, Uruguay and Australia.
Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe in Iran, built in the 5th or 6th century Armenian Catholics originated in what is today Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe. Beginning in the late 1920s, persecution caused many Armenian Catholics to emigrate. In 1991, after the fall of the
Soviet Union, the
Bishop of Rome,
Pope John Paul II merged the communities in Georgia and Russia with those in Armenia, creating the new
Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe, with its residence in Gyumri. The city was not chosen by chance: most Catholic Armenians live in the northern parts of Armenia. This has become a kind of basis for fence-mending with the coreligionists on the other side of the border. In 1992,
Vasken I, Catholicos of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, announced that
"The presence of the Armenian Catholic Church in Armenia is unacceptable and to be refuted", a decision made as a result of a Holy Synod held on 26 September 1992. Today Catholic Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakheti live together in Akhaltsikhe and in the nearby villages, as well as in the regions of Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda. The communities in the last two regions, which are mainly rural, are found in rather distant areas, but the most important link is the historical memory of Catholicism. A small seminary was established in
Gyumri, Armenia, in 1994; there candidates for the priesthood engage in basic studies before moving to the Pontifical College of the Armenians (established 1885) in Rome, where they pursue philosophy and theology. There are also tens of thousands of
Armenian Catholics in Russia, due to the extensive migration from Armenia to Russia that occurred during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
United States and Canada Armenian Catholic Cathedral in
Glendale,
California Currently around 1.5 million
Armenians live in
North America, of which 35,000 belong to the Armenian Catholic Church. In the 19th century Catholic Armenians from
Western Armenia, mainly from the towns and cities of Karin (
Erzurum), and from
Constantinople and
Mardin, traveled to the United States seeking employment. By the end of that century, many survivors of the
Hamidian Massacres had concentrated in several U.S. cities, chiefly in
New York. Catholic Armenian communities were also founded in
New Jersey, in
Boston and
Detroit, as in
Los Angeles and other cities of
California. Catholic Armenian educational organizations were also founded in many cities. In
Philadelphia and
Boston, schools were founded by Armenian sisters. Later, a school was founded in
La Crescenta, but later moved to the Los Angeles neighborhood of
Sunland, eventually being decommissioned. Many Armenians came to the United States and Canada from the Middle Eastern countries of Lebanon and Syria in the 1970s and in later years. Moreover, many Armenians migrated from Argentina, because of the economic crisis there. At the same time, many Catholic Armenians moved within the United States to
San Francisco,
San Diego,
Chicago,
Washington D.C.,
Atlanta,
Miami and
Indianapolis. In 2005, by
Pope Benedict XVI's decision, the
Catholic Exarchate of the USA and Canada was raised to the status of a
diocese. It serviced 35,000 Catholic Armenians in the United States and some 10,000 in Canada.
Manuel Batakian became the bishop, or eparch, of the diocese, which has jurisdiction over Canadian and American Catholics who are members of the Armenian Catholic Church. According to a news release by the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published on Monday, May 23, 2011,
Pope Benedict XVI, named
Archpriest Mikaël Antoine Mouradian, superior of the Convent of Notre Dame in
Bzommar, Lebanon, as the new bishop of the
Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in New York for Armenian Catholics. The appointment of Lebanon-born Bishop Mouradian was publicized in Washington on May 21 by
Archbishop Pietro Sambi,
Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.
France Next to
North America, France holds the largest number of Armenian Catholics outside the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The Eparchy of Sainte-Croix-de-Paris was established in 1960 with Bishop Garabed Armadouni as exarch. Since 1977, the eparchy has been led by Bishop Krikor Gabroyan. There are some 30,000 Armenian Catholics in the eparchy, the headquarters of which are in Paris. Apart from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Paris, the eparchy has six churches in
Arnouville-lès-Gonesse,
Lyon,
Marseille,
Saint-Chamond,
Sèvres and
Valence. A community of
Mekhitarist Fathers resides in Sèvres and a convent of
Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception runs a school in Marseille. ===
Brazil === The Catholic Armenian Community of
São Paulo was founded in 1935, as the
Chaplaincy of the Catholic Armenian Mission, responding to requests from Armenian immigrants who had settled in Brazil since 1923, mostly from
Marach, now in modern day Turkey. The church is between the
metro stations Armênia and
Tiradentes, at Tiradentes Avenue #718. == Demographics ==