Raphaël François Minassian

Archbishop Raphaël François Minassian, I.C.P.B. (Armenian: Ռաֆայել Մինասյան; born 24 October 1946) is a Lebanese-born Armenian Catholic hierarch. He currently serves as a Titular Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia for Armenians and Ordinary of Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe (that is covering a territory of Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine) since 24 June 2011. Previously he served as a Patriarchal Exarch of Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Amman from 26 September 2005 until 24 June 2011.

Archbishop Minassian was born in the Armenian family in diaspora, in Lebanon. After the primary school education, he subsequently joined the Minor seminary of the Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar in 1958, where he later made a profession. After that, he continued to study in Rome in the Pontifical Levonian Armenian College. He was ordained as priest on June 24, 1973, after studies in the Pontifical Gregorian University, Italy with a licentiate in philosophy and theology and in the Salesian Pontifical University with degree in the practical psychology.

After his ordination to priesthood, he served in the different Armenian Catholic institutions in Lebanon and in the United States and in the same time made a pastoral work for the Armenian Catholics. On September 26, 2005 he was appointed as a Patriarchal Exarch of Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Amman, where he served almost six years.

On June 24, 2011 Patriarchal Exarch Minassian was nominated by Pope Benedict XVI and on July 16, 2011 consecrated to the Episcopate as an Ordinary of the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe. The principal consecrator was Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, the Head of the Armenian Catholic Church.