Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On November 9, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians; received the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher and his delegation, who was on an official visit in Armenia.

On the occasion of the visit to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Pontiff of All Armenians conveyed his best wishes and appreciation to the Delegation members reflecting on the warm relations and cooperation formed between the Vatican and Republic of Armenia. The Catholicos of All Armenia expressed with joy that during his pastorate the relationships between  the Armenian Church and the Roman Catholic Church have become warmer and stronger. In this regard, His Holiness referred with gratitude to the visits of His Holiness John Paul II and His Holiness Francis to Armenia.

Speaking about the relations and close cooperation with the Sister Churches the Pontiff of All Armenians emphasized with gratitude that the challenges the churches face in the current period can only be overcome through joint efforts and practical steps. In this regard, His Holiness highly appreciated the strong spiritual and cultural relations between the Mother See and Holy See noting that those are good bases for further effective cooperation.

In his turn, His Eminence Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher also expressed joy that for the meeting and reflected on the fraternal relations noting that this visit is another step towards the developing bilateral relations between Armenia  and Vatican. The Secretary for Relations of the States within the Holy See conveyed the warm greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis of Rome to the Catholicos of All Armenians.

During the meeting, they also touched upon the events happening in the Middle East, the preservation of Christian values and historical-cultural heritage and other issues. Both parties stressed the importance of the joint contribution of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and Holy See to keep peace in the world.

At the conclusion, the Pontiff of All Armenians conveyed his warm greetings to His Holiness Pope Francis of Rome wishing that God always keep the Catholic Church, its servants and faithful strong.

Present at the meeting were His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Patriarchal Delegate of Western Europe and representative of the Catholicos of All Armenians in Vatican; His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Director of the External Relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See; Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Shahe Ananyan, Director of the Ecumenical Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; and Mr. Karen Nazarian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the RA to the Holy See.