In Vienna, Austria, there is a church known as the final resting place of the former royal Habsburg family, called the Imperial Crypt (Kaisergruft). In the past, when a royal funeral arrived, the official procession would knock on the closed church door to be let in. From inside, a priest would ask, “Who is asking to enter?” A guard would reply, “His Apostolic Majesty, the Emperor.” The priest would answer, “I do not know him.” They would knock a second time. Again, the pries

Our Bishops’ Council in Austria has just concluded. For three days in Saint Pölten, bishops of the Armenian Church came together to pray, reflect on the current challenges facing the Armenian Church, and form a united and responsible position to defend the Church’s mission and preserve its internal unity. When bishops come together, it is easy for people to assume that it is about policies, resolutions, or public statements. But what I experienced was something much deeper. I

Back in 2017, when I was new to New York, I was driving to Brooklyn one afternoon and was about to enter the Brooklyn Tunnel. You know how sometimes they open the opposite side to ease traffic? The cones had been moved. The entrance looked open. It seemed convenient. So I started to drive in. But something didn’t feel right. It was too quiet. No cars. No movement. I slowed down. And then I heard a traffic controller shouting behind me, “Stop! Stop! Turn around! Come back!” I