His Holiness Catholicos Aram I drew attention to the importance of inter-church cooperation and the Christian presence in the Middle East in a joint statement issued with the heads of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and of the Coptic Church of Alexandria, on Wednesday, Oct. 19.
The Catholicos met with His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, of the Syriac Church, and His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, of the Coptic Church of Alexandria, in the Monastery of Anba Bishoy, near Cairo. In 1996, the three churches established a fellowship that convenes alternately in Antelias, Cairo, and Damascus.
Catholicos Aram I only attended the last day of the meeting in Egypt, which began on Oct. 17, with His Eminence Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Prelate of Tehran, and His Grace Bishop Magar Ashkarian, Pontifical Legate to the Prelacy of Syria, as members of the standing committee representing the Holy See of Cilicia, in attendance and took part in discussion about the ecumenical dialogue among the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches, membership of the World Council of Churches, and other issues.