His Holiness Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Visits Armenia
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
16/3/2010
Upon the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia arrived in Armenia and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on March 16 for an official visit.
The airplane of His Holiness Kirill I, landed at the “Zvartnots” International airport at 15:00. His Holiness Karekin II, and a delegation of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church met the Patriarch of All Russia at the airport.
Mr. Armen Ashotian, Minister of the Republic of Armenia Minister of Science and Education as well as Mr. Vyacheslav Kovalenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Armenia; Mr. Oleksandr Bozhko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Ukraine to Armenia; Mr. Stepan Sukhorenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Armenia; Mr. Shohrat Jumayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Armenia; and Mr. Aiymdos Bozzhigitov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Armenia; came to greet His Holiness Kirill I at the airport.
Following the fraternal embrace of the two Patriarchs, students from the Armenian Church Youth Center presented the traditional welcome of salt and bread to the Patriarch.
The two Heads of the Churches walked through a police escort to the awaiting welcoming delegation. His Eminence Archbishop Yeznik Petrosian, General Secretary for Inter-church Relations of the Armenian Church, introduced the clergy and the ambassadors to the Head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In the airport, the Pontiff of All Armenians and the Patriarch of All Russia answered questions of the journalists who had gathered.
His Holiness Kirill I, is escorted by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations; Archbishop Feognost of Sergiyev Posad, Metropoliton Sergi the Bishop of Solnechnogorsk; Fr. Filipp Ryabykhv, Fr. Alexsander Vastut, Senior Deacon Vladimir Nazarkin, Deacon Antoni Sevruk, Vladimir Legoida, chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the Patriarchate of Moscow and Michael Kuksov.
From the airport, the two Pontiffs and their retinue traveled to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
