1700-YEAR BELIEF LIGHT SPREAD FROM KHOR VIRAP

[MosJan]

1700-YEAR BELIEF LIGHT SPREAD FROM KHOR VIRAP

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All Armenian Catholicos Karekin II and leaders of sister churches visited Khor Virap (where Gregory the Illuminator lived in captive for 13 years) on September 21.

 

 

By the supervision of Karekin II and Indian Malabar church’s leader Vasilyos Mar Toma ecumenical ceremony of ‘Christian light’s distribution’ took place at Khor Virap, after which All Armenian Catholicos delivered a speech and everybody lit his candle from the Gregory the Illuminator’s torch.

 

 

The religious leaders prayed to the God and wished peace to the world- not forgetting the victims of New York and Washington terrorist acts. Head of Romanian Orthodox Church Theoktist Patriarch, Supreme Patriarch of African Orthodox Church Peter VII, Chairman of World Council of Churches, Doc. Conrad Riser, many clergymen from all over the world and of course the primates of Armenian church dioceses of many countries were also present at the ceremony.

 

 

After the ceremony the clergymen headed for Tsitsernakaberd, put wreaths on the memorial of 1915 Genocide victims and served a special liturgy there. In the evening they participated in the solemn session dedicated to 1700-th anniversary of Christianity adoption in Armenia and 10-th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence, after which Armenian president Robert Kocharian received them.

 

 

Today, September 22, starting 10 AM an ecumenical ceremony will be held in Mother Cathedral of St. Etchmiadzin, and at 6 PM a holy ceremony of myrrh consecration will take place in newly built open altar of the church city. And tomorrow, September 23, the consecration ceremony of Yerevan’s St. Gregory the Illuminator church will take place at 10 AM.

 

 

By Marietta Makarian

 

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