Vasken I

Vasken I

(Vasken Baljian) Catholicos of all Armenians from 1955 to 1994. He played important role in creating closer ties between Soviet Armenia and the Armenians of Diaspora. He could achieve a greater degree of independence from the communist authorities as compared with the churches in other republics of the Soviet Union. Under Vasken I, the Armenian Church joined the World Council of Churches.