Armenian Church bishops hold meeting in Austria without Catholicos

Assembly of Bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Photo: Voice of Armenia

On February 17, 2026, an assembly of bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church began its work in the Austrian city of St. Pölten, with 25 archbishops and bishops taking part, Voice of Armenia reports.

Hierarchs from the jurisdiction of Holy Etchmiadzin are participating, along with representatives of the Armenian Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Constantinople. The Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, was not present in person and delivered an exhortation to the participants online.

The assembly began with the Sunrise service (Arevagal), after which the opening session took place with the “Our Father” and a reading from the Apostle Paul’s message on church unity. The bishops then approved the agenda and elected a secretariat to coordinate the work going forward.

That same day, an evening service was held in St. Pölten’s cathedral with the delegates in attendance. The head of the local Catholic eparchy, Bishop Alois Schwarz, addressed those assembled with a greeting.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Catholicos and Robert Amsterdam discussed the persecution of the Church in Armenia.

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