GREGORIO III, PAHLAW. – Armenian Katholikós (1113–66), son of the prince Pahlaw Apirat, born in 1096; died in 1166.
It was his merit to clarify ever more, in a Catholic sense, the position of the Armenian Church with regard to the Council of Chalcedon and to reconnect it, more effectively than his predecessor Gregorio II, with the See of Rome, considering its juridical status in relation to the claims of the Byzantine emperors. For this purpose he corresponded with Popes Honorius II, Innocent II, and Eugene III. Together with his brother, the bishop Nerses the Gracious, he took part in the Latin Council of Antioch (1139) and that of Jerusalem (1142). Innocent II, having received the information and praises of his legate
G. insists above all on the restoration of all creation in its integrity. This means at the same time the salvation of human nature, insofar as it is the substantial totality of human beings, and the restoration of the totality of spiritual creation, from which humanity had fallen. But if human nature is thus to be restored, nevertheless certain individuals may withdraw from such restoration. Only, the question of salvation in-
Alberico of Ostia, sent G. a letter (25 September 1141), congratulating him and inviting his brother, Bishop Nerses, to Rome, in order to discuss the matter more fully. The embassy of G. III arrived in Viterbo around 1144–45 and was received by Eugene III. The Apostolic See was informed about certain controversies between Armenians and Greeks, and about the well-known disciplinary questions.
G. was the first Armenian katholikós to receive the pallium. He left as his literary legacy his correspondence and hymnographic compositions, which were introduced into the liturgy.