The Media Office of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate announced on Monday that “Pope Francis has approved the vote from the regular session of cardinals and bishops to declare the beatified martyr Bishop Ignatius Maloyan (1869-1915) a saint.”
“This historical event will be officially announced at a later time,” according to the Patriarchate’s statement.
Bishop Maloyan’s beatification process was initiated in 1966 and officially concluded in 2001. On October 7 of the same year, Pope John Paul II declared him blessed during a grand ceremony held in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
The Armenian Catholic Church commemorates his feast day annually on June 11.
A Brief Biography
Blessed Bishop Ignatius Maloyan (1869-1915) was born in the city of Mardin, in the Ottoman Empire, in April 1869. He received his primary education at a school run by the Mardin Armenian Diocese, under the guidance of Bishop Melkon Nazarian, who quickly recognized his brilliance and deep faith.
In 1883, the bishop sent him to the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Bzommar in Kesrwan, Lebanon, to grow up in a monastic environment that deepened his faith and solidified the foundations of his future priesthood.
On August 6, 1896, the Feast of the Transfiguration, he received the sacrament of priesthood through the laying on of hands by Catholicos Patriarch Stepanos Petros X Azarian. After his ordination, he began his priestly service at the Monastery of Our Lady of Bzommar, where he stayed for about a year and a half before being assigned to serve in Egypt, moving between Alexandria and Cairo. He was then sent to Constantinople, where he spent nine months before returning to his hometown of Mardin.
In 1911, he was elected by the Patriarchal Synod of the Armenian Church, convened in Rome, as the Archbishop of Mardin. On October 22 of the same year, he received the episcopal rank through the laying on of hands by Catholicos Patriarch Boghos Bedros XIII Terzian.
Bishop Maloyan was distinguished by his holiness and virtues, and his exemplary pastoral service was reflected in his care for his people and his invaluable services, even to the Ottoman Empire. This earned him high honors from the Ottoman authorities in Istanbul, who awarded him medals in recognition of his contributions. However, these same authorities, amid the Ottoman massacres against Armenians, awarded him on June 11, 1915, another medal: the Medal of Martyrdom for Christ, the Church and the Nation. He was martyred, along with a group of priests and faithful, after remaining steadfast in his faith until his last breath.
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