Meeting of the Pope and the Catholicos of All Armenians in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – 25/6/15

On the evening of June 24, the meeting of Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church and His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; was held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The meeting was attended by the delegation of the Catholic Church; Bishops of the Armenian Church; Diocesan Primates from Armenia and Diaspora and Locum Tenens.

During the meeting, His Holiness Karekin II, welcomed Pope Francis to the Biblical land of Armenia and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He also conveyed his fraternal love and best wishes to the members of the delegation.

“There is joy in our homes and in our souls today, as our beloved brother has visited the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and as the Armenian nation has a special warm affection for him. The clear evidence of this is the presence of the high-ranking priests from our dioceses around the world, who have travelled here together with the faithful of their communities. Our people consider your visit as an opportunity and chance to express their feelings of gratitude for your caring attitude towards our people, the Armenian Church, and Nation. In this sacred sanctuary we offer our prayer to heaven, asking Lord to grant you long healthy years to guide the Roman Catholic Church, and implement the mission of Christ’s Church together with the Spiritual Primates of the Sister Churches and the faithful, for the sake of a more peaceful and better world and the happier life of the humankind”, stated the Catholicos of All Armenians.

In turn, Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church expressed his gratitude to His Holiness for the warm reception and fraternal love, stressing that in Holy Etchmiadzin he feels at home. Emphasizing the importance of united prayer and peace in the remarks of His Holiness, Pope Francis added that as Churches they are called to be the preachers of peace.

At the end of the meeting, a mutual presentation of the delegations of the two churches and an exchange of gifts was made.

On the occasion of the visit, the Catholicos of All Armenians presented a Liturgical Chalice to Pope Francis, on which the St. Peter Basillica of the Vatican and the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin were engraved on the sides of the cup, as well as the holy apostles of the two churches. His Holiness also presented an icon of the Holy Martyr’s of the Armenian Genocide and a miniature sculpture of the Pope. In turn, the Pope gifted to His Holiness a mosaic of the Holy Mother of God.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Pope Francis recorded a message in the Pontifical Memory register

Following the meeting, a private meeting between the two Pontiffs was held.

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