"Ignatius Maloyan. His proclamation as a Saint is now near." Article by Carlo Coppola
Blessed Ignatius Maloyan, Archbishop of Mardin of the Armenian Catholics, is about to be proclaimed a Saint—an event marking a significant moment for the Armenian community and for the Catholic Church as a whole. He was born in 1869 into a deeply faithful family, to parents Melkon and Feridè. He dedicated his life to his community, facing with courage the challenges and persecutions that struck the Armenians during the 1915 genocide. From a young age, his spiritual father, Joseph Tchérian, recognizing the signs of a vocation in him, sent him at the age of 14 to the monastery of Bzommar in Lebanon. In 1896, he was ordained a priest and incardinated into the Patriarchal Clergy Institute of Bzommar. After being assigned on mission to the Armenian diocese of Egypt, where he gained a reputation as an exemplary priest, he was called back to Lebanon in 1904, where His Beatitude Boghos Bedros XII Sabbaghian, Patriarch of the Armenian Catholics, appointed him as his secretary.
Then, as part of the reorganization of the Armenian Catholic Dioceses, he was identified as the bishop of Mardin. On October 22, 1911, during the Synod of Armenian Bishops held in Rome, he was elected Archbishop of Mardin and consecrated by the new Patriarch, His Beatitude Boghos Bedros XIII Terzian. Shortly after, he participated in the pilgrimage of the Armenian nation to the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, where he met lawyer and founder Bartolo Longo, who would remember him twelve years later in his writings on the Armenian Genocide, for his gentleness, affability, and zeal.
In Mardin, he was deeply engaged with the needs of the faithful, implementing a kind of pastoral care ahead of its time, always attentive to both the material and spiritual needs of the people entrusted to him. He spread devotion to the Sacred Heart and to the Mother of God throughout all the parishes, especially to Our Lady of Pompeii and the related devotions. Maloyan worked tirelessly to keep the faith alive among his people, promoting unity and hope in times of great suffering. His leadership during the genocide, when he chose to remain with his people rather than flee, is a powerful example of his dedication and sacrifice.
His canonization is not only a recognition of his personal sanctity but also a tribute to the resilience of the Armenian people. It represents a moment of reflection on Armenian history and culture, as well as a call to continue the fight for justice and peace in the light of the Gospel and faith in Christ.
The canonization ceremony, whose exact date has not yet been announced, will attract to Rome a great number of Armenian Catholic faithful and non-Catholics from all over the world—not only from the Armenian community but also from all those who believe in the bonds of love, unity, and homeland. The figure of Ignatius Maloyan will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations, reminding everyone—through his testimony brought to fullness—of the importance of remaining steadfast in faith and solidarity, even in the darkest moments of human history, such as those Armenia and the entire world are currently going through, caught in the terrible grip of ethical relativism and secularization, which paves the way for the rise of retrograde and fundamentalist doctrines, and of Islam.
This morning, the Holy See Press Office also announced that on March 28, 2025, the Holy Father authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the Decrees regarding, among others, the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Carmelo De Palma, diocesan priest, born on January 27, 1876, in Bari (Italy), and who died there on August 24, 1961.
