View source for Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Greece

{{short description|Armenian Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Greece}}
{{Infobox diocese
|jurisdiction     =
|name             = Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Greece
|latin            =
|local            =
|image            =
|caption          =
|country          = [[Greece]]
|province         = Immediately [[Exemption (Catholic canon law)|exempt]] to the [[Holy See]]
|denomination     = [[Catholic Church]]
|sui_iuris_church = [[Latin Church]]
|rite             = [[Armenian Rite]]
|established      = 21 December 1925
|cathedral        =
|cocathedral      =
|area_km2         =
|population       =
|population_as_of = 2013
|catholics        = 200
|parishes           =  2
|pope             = {{Incumbent pope}}
|patriarch        = [[Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan]]
|bishop           = [[Sede vacante]]
|coadjutor        = [[Hovsep Bezazian]], Apostolic Administrator
|auxiliary_bishops=
|emeritus_bishops =
|map              =
|website          =
}}
The '''Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Greece''' or '''Armenian Catholic Ordinariate of Greece''' (informally '''Greece of the Armenians ''') is an [[Armenian Catholic Church]] ecclesiastical territory or [[ordinariate for the faithful of eastern rite]] of the [[Catholic Church]] for its faithful in [[Greece]].
It is [[Exemption (Catholic canon law)|exempt]] to the [[Holy See]], specifically to the [[Congregation for the Oriental Churches]] and is not part of any [[ecclesiastical province]].
== History ==
{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2021}}
The ordinariate was established on December 21, 1925, by [[Pope Pius XI]]<ref>[http://www.cathecclesia.gr/hellas/index.php/εκκλησιαστικεσ-επαρχιεσ/2008-03-19-22-30-28 cathecclesia.gr]</ref> to serve Armenian Catholics who arrived in Greece during the [[First World War]]. This Armenian Catholic [[Ordinariate]] of Greece was created to the [[particular church]] ''sui iuris'' had no proper Ordinary.
From 1950 to 2002, the ordinariate, shaped by its [[diaspora]] situation, increased from 450 to 550 Armenian Catholic Christians, cared for by the only [[diocesan priest]] of the Ordinariate in the only municipality in the country.
Between January 7, 2003, and March 21, 2015, the [[Armenians|Armenian]] [[bishop]] of [[Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Isfahan|Isfahan]] ([[Iran]]) was the [[Apostolic Administrator]] of the Ordinariate.
== Territory and statistics ==
The Ordinariate extends its jurisdiction over the Armenian Catholics of the whole Greece. There are 200 Catholics belonging to this ordinariate.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
Its [[cathedral]] is the [[St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Athens|Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator]], in the [[episcopal see]] and Greek capital [[Athens]]. Another parish is present in [[Nikaia, Attica|Nikaia]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090318193551/http://www.armenianprelacy.gr/adr_uk.html armenianprelacy.gr]</ref><ref>[http://www.cathecclesia.gr/hellas/index.php/dioceses/ordinariat-of-armenian-rite/parishes-a-chapels cathecclesia.gr/]</ref>
== Ordinaries ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}
(all [[Armenian Rite]])
;''Ordinaries of Greece''
* Father Giuseppe Khantzian (1949.06.18 – death 1973)
* Fr. Giovanni Koyounian (1973.06.21 – death 1991)
* [[Nechan Karakéhéyan|Neshan Karakéhéyan]], [[Patriarchal Clergy Institute of Bzommar]] (I.C.P.B.) (1991 – 2000.09.27 ''see below''), later Eparch (Bishop) of [[Ispahan of the Armenians]] (Iran) (2000.09.27 – 2005.04.02), ''remained [[Apostolic Administrator]] of Greece of the Armenians (Greece) (2000.09.27 – 2015.03.21)'', Ordinary of [[Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe|East Europe of the Armenians]] (Armenia) (2005.04.02 – 2010.01.06), remaining [[Patriarchal Administrator]] of [[Ispahan of the Armenians]] (Iran) (2005.04.02 – 2015.10.01), [[Titular Archbishop]] of [[Adana of the Armenians]] (2005.04.02 – ...)
* [[Apostolic Administrator]] Neshan Karakéhéyan, I.C.P.B. (''see above'' 2000.09.27 – 2015.03.21)
* [[Apostolic Administrator]] Fr. Hovsep Bezazian (Bezouzou) (2015.03.21 – ...), no other office
==Sources==
* [[Annuario Pontificio]], Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano, 2003, {{ISBN|88-209-7422-3}}.
==References==
<!--- See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically -->
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/gree2.htm GCatholic with incumbent bio links]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dgrar.html Catholic-hierarchy.org]
{{Armenian Catholic Hierarchy|state=collapsed}}
{{Catholic Church in Greece}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greece, Armenian Catholic Ordinariate}}
[[Category:Eastern Catholic dioceses in Greece]]
[[Category:Armenian Catholic Church]]
[[Category:Armenian diaspora]]
[[Category:Armenia–Greece relations]]
[[Category:Ordinariates for Eastern Catholic faithful]]