Roman Catholic Cardinal. Born in present day Georgia, Gazaros Agagianian received his first education in the Caucasus until moving to Rome at the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide. Ordained priest there in December 1917, he was successively named to the teaching faculty of the Pontifical Armenian College of which he later served as rector between 1932 and 1937. Elected bishop of the titular see of Comana di Armenia in 1935 at the early age of thirty nine, he received his episcopal consecration at the Roman church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, the national parish of Armenian Catholics in Rome. Elected patriarch of Cilicia by the Armenian Synod in November 1937, he took the name of Grégoire-Pierre XV. Pope Pius XII created him cardinal priest with the title of San Bartolomeo all'Isola in the consistory of February 18, 1946. Named president of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Oriental Canon Law in 1955, followed by those of pro-prefect and ultimatey prefect of the Sacred Congregatatio for the Propagation of the Faith and 1958 and 1960, he resigned the patriarchate in August 1962. Highly considered as a potential papabile candidate during the 1963 conclave which ultimately elected John XXIII to the the papacy, Agagianian passed away of cancer in Rome less than a year after becoming cardinal bishop of the suburbicarian see of Albano and was laid to rest in the church in which he received his episcopal ordination back in 1935. On October 28, 2022, the cause for his beatification was introduced by the Diocese of Rome.
Roman Catholic Cardinal. Born in present day Georgia, Gazaros Agagianian received his first education in the Caucasus until moving to Rome at the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide. Ordained priest there in December 1917, he was successively named to the teaching faculty of the Pontifical Armenian College of which he later served as rector between 1932 and 1937. Elected bishop of the titular see of Comana di Armenia in 1935 at the early age of thirty nine, he received his episcopal consecration at the Roman church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, the national parish of Armenian Catholics in Rome. Elected patriarch of Cilicia by the Armenian Synod in November 1937, he took the name of Grégoire-Pierre XV. Pope Pius XII created him cardinal priest with the title of San Bartolomeo all'Isola in the consistory of February 18, 1946. Named president of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Oriental Canon Law in 1955, followed by those of pro-prefect and ultimatey prefect of the Sacred Congregatatio for the Propagation of the Faith and 1958 and 1960, he resigned the patriarchate in August 1962. Highly considered as a potential papabile candidate during the 1963 conclave which ultimately elected John XXIII to the the papacy, Agagianian passed away of cancer in Rome less than a year after becoming cardinal bishop of the suburbicarian see of Albano and was laid to rest in the church in which he received his episcopal ordination back in 1935. On October 28, 2022, the cause for his beatification was introduced by the Diocese of Rome.
Bio by: Eman Bonnici
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