The Zmmar Congregation of the Armenian Catholic Church reports that one of the high-ranking clergymen of that church, Bishop Hovsep Arnautian, has died. He was born on May 2, 1936 in the city of Aleppo, Syria. He was the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch of Damascus. He has been a member of the Zmmar Armenian Catholic Congregation since 1969. On April 5 of that year, he was ordained a celibate priest. On August 21, 1989, he was appointed Primate of the Armenian Catholic Diocese of Qamishli. His episcopal ordination took place on March 18, 1990, by Catholicos-Patriarch Rafael-Petros Gasparyan.
He held this position until April 10, 1992. From 1994 to 1997, he served as an auxiliary bishop in the Armenian Catholic Diocese of Argentina. From 1997 to 2023, he held the position of Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch of Damascus. He actively participated in regional inter-church and episcopal synods and ecumenical meetings. He emphasized the Christian presence in the region. He paid special attention to meeting the religious needs of Armenian communities. During the civil war, Arnautyan remained in Damascus. He called on other local Christian leaders to establish peace and stop the war on numerous occasions.
