Grégoire-Pierre XV AGAGIANIAN
From Legacyview Dictionary of Biography
(1895-1971) (Aghajanian, Krikor Bedros) Birth. September 18, 1895, Akhaltzikhe, Armenian ordinariate of Caucasus, Russia. Education. Seminary of Tifflis, Tifflis, Georgia, Russia; Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum "De Propaganda Fide," Rome.
Priesthood. Ordained, December 23, 1917, Rome. Pastoral work, Tifflis, 1918-1921. Faculty member and vice-rector of the Pontifical Armenian College, Rome, 1921-1932; faculty member of the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum "De Propaganda Fide," Rome, 1922-1932; rector of the Pontifical Armenian College, Rome, 1932-1937. Privy chamberlain of His Holiness, August 5, 1932. Apostolic Visitor to the Patriarchal Institute of Bzommar, Beirut, Lebanon, 1935.
Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Comana di Armenia, July 11, 1935. Consecrated, July 21, 1935, church of S. Nicola Tolention, Rome, by Serge Der Abrahamian, titular bishop of Cucuso, ordinating prelate for the Armenian rite in Rome, assisted by Bartolomeo Cattaneo, titular archbishop of Palmira, general treasurer of the Apostolic Chamber, and by Pietro Pisani, titular archbishop of Tomi, delegate of the Oriental Church in Rome. Elected patriarch of Cilicia by the Armenian Synod, November 30, 1937; received papal confirmation, December 13, 1937.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of February 18, 1946; received the red hat and the title of S. Bartolomeo all ' Isola, February 22, 1946. President of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Oriental Canon Law, July 2, 1955. Pro-prefect of the S.C. for the Propagation of the Faith, June 18, 1958 until July 18, 1960; prefect, July 18, 1960 until October 19, 1970. Participated in the conclave of 1958, which elected Pope John XXIII. Papal legate to the Marian Congress, Saigon, South Vietnam, January 31, 1959. Papal legate to the Patrician Congress, Dublin, Ireland, June 15 to 23, 1961, to commemorate the 1500th Anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. Resigned patriarchate, August 25, 1962. Attended the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965; member of the Board of Presidency, 1963-1965. Participated in the conclave of 1963, which elected Pope Paul VI. Papal legate to the 38th International Eucharistic Congress, Bombay, India, November 11, 1964. Participated in the First Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 29, 1967; the First Extraordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 11 to 28, 1969. Cardinal bishop of the title of the suburbicarian see of Albano, October 22, 1970.
Death. May 16, 1971, Rome. Buried, Armenian church of S. Nicola da Tolentino, Rome.
Bibliography. Croaty, A. Cardinal Agagianian, papal legate: a profile. Dublin: J. Duffy, 1961. Link. Armenian Catholic patriarchs.
