Gregorio Pietro Agagianian
Gregorio Pietro XV Agagianian (ah-gah-JAHN-yan; anglicized: Gregory Peter; Western Armenian: Գրիգոր Պետրոս ԺԵ. Աղաճանեան, Krikor Bedros ŽĒ. Aghajanian; born Ghazaros Aghajanian, 15 September 1895 – 16 May 1971) was an Armenian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the head of the Armenian Catholic Church (as Patriarch of Cilicia) from 1937 to 1962 and supervised the Catholic Church's missionary work for more than a decade, until his retirement in 1970. He was considered papabile on two occasions, in 1958 and 1963.
Servant of God Gregorio Pietro XV Agagianian | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Patriarch of Cilicia Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith | |
Photograph by David Lees, 1965 | |
| Church | Armenian Catholic Church |
| See | Cilicia |
| Appointed | 13 December 1937 |
| Term ended | 25 August 1962 |
| Predecessor | Avedis Bedros XIV Arpiarian |
| Successor | Ignatius Bedros XVI Batanian |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Bishop of Albano |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 23 December 1917 |
| Consecration | 21 July 1935 by Bishop Serge Der Abrahamian |
| Created cardinal | 18 February 1946 by Pope Pius XII |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest (1946–1970) Cardinal-Bishop (1970–1971) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ghazaros Aghajanian 15 September 1895 Akhaltsikhe, Russian Empire (present-day Georgia) |
| Died | 16 May 1971 (aged 75) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Armenian (ethnicity) Lebanese (citizen) Vatican (citizen) Russian Empire (subject by birth) |
| Denomination | Armenian Catholic |
| Residence | Rome, Beirut |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Motto | Iustitia et Pax (Justice and Peace) |
| Coat of arms | |
| Sainthood | |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Title as Saint | Servant of God |
| Styles of Gregorio Pietro Agagianian | |
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Posthumous style | Servant of God |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Cilicia |
Educated in Tiflis and Rome, Agagianian first served as leader of the Armenian Catholic community of Tiflis before the Bolshevik takeover of the Caucasus in 1921. He then moved to Rome, where he first taught and then headed the Pontifical Armenian College until 1937 when he was elected to lead the Armenian Catholic Church, which he revitalized after major losses the church had experienced during the Armenian genocide.
Agagianian was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII. He was Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) from 1958 to 1970. Theologically a moderate, a linguist, and an authority on the Soviet Union, he served as one of the four moderators at the Second Vatican Council. His cause for canonization was scheduled to be officially opened on October 28, 2022.