Reconciliation of differences between Catholic and Armenian

[Guest]

Garagin II confirms the policy of Garegin I!

Basically, other than the structural, some procedural and ceremonial differences, the theological differences between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church are eliminated. Unity in Christ!

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Vatican City

Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office

November 10, 2000

 

Joint Communiqué of Pope John Paul II and Catholicos Karekin II

 

His Holiness Pope John Paul II, Bishop of Rome, and His Holiness

Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, give

thanks to the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for enabling them to

meet together on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Year 2000 and

on the threshold of the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of

Christianity as the state religion of Armenia.

 

They also give thanks in the Holy Spirit that the fraternal

relations between the See of Rome and the See of Etchmiadzin have

further developed and deepened in recent years. This progress

finds its expression in their present personal meeting and

particularly in the gift of a relic of Saint Gregory the

Illuminator, the holy missionary who converted the king of Armenia

(301 A.D.) and established the line of Catholicoi of the Armenian

Church. The present meeting builds upon the previous encounters

between Pope Paul VI and Catholicos Vasken I (1970) and upon the

two meetings between Pope John Paul II and Catholicos Karekin I

(1996 and 1999). Pope John Paul II and Catholicos Karekin II now

continue to look forward to a possible meeting in Armenia. On the

present occasion, they wish to state together the following.

 

Together we confess our faith in the Triune God and in one Lord

Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who became man for our

salvation. We also believe in One, Catholic, Apostolic and Holy

Church. The Church, as the Body of Christ, indeed, is one and

unique. This is our common faith, based on the teachings of the

Apostles and the Fathers of the Church. We acknowledge furthermore

that both the Catholic Church and the Armenian Church have true

sacraments, above all - by apostolic succession of bishops - the

priesthood and the Eucharist. We continue to pray for full and

visible communion between us. The liturgical celebration we

preside over together, the sign of peace we exchange and the

blessing we give together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

testify that we are brothers in the episcopacy. Together we are

jointly responsible for what is our common mission: to teach the

apostolic faith and to witness to the love of Christ for all human

beings, especially those living in difficult circumstances.

 

The Catholic Church and the Armenian Church share a long history of

mutual respect, considering their various theological, liturgical

and canonical traditions as complementary, rather than conflicting.

Today, too, we have much to receive from one another. For the

Armenian Church, the vast resources of Catholic learning can become

a treasure and source of inspiration, through the exchange of

scholars and students, through common translations and academic

initiatives, through different forms of theological dialogue.

Likewise, for the Catholic Church, the steadfast, patient faith of

a martyred nation like Armenia can become a source of spiritual

strength, particularly through common prayer. It is our firm

desire to see these many forms of mutual exchange and rapprochement

between us improved and intensified.

 

As we embark upon the third millennium, we look back on the past

and forward to the future. As to the past, we thank God for the

many blessings we have received from his infinite bounty, for the

holy witness given by so many saints and martyrs, for the spiritual

and cultural heritage bequeathed by our ancestors. Many times,

however, both the Catholic Church and the Armenian Church have

lived through dark and difficult periods. Christian faith was

contested by atheistic and materialistic ideologies; Christian

witness was opposed by totalitarian and violent regimes; Christian

love was suffocated by individualism and the pursuit of personal

interest. Leaders of nations no longer feared God, nor did they

feel ashamed before humankind. For both of us, the 20th century

was marked by extreme violence. The Armenian genocide, which began

the century, was a prologue to horrors that would follow. Two

world wars, countless regional conflicts and deliberately organized

campaigns of extermination took the lives of millions of faithful.

Nevertheless, without diminishing the horror of these events and

their consequences, there may be a kind of divine challenge in

them, if in response Christians are persuaded to join together in

deeper friendship in the cause of Christian truth and love.

 

We now look to the future with hope and confidence. At this

juncture in history, we see new horizons for us Christians and for

the world. Both in the East and in the West, after having

experienced the deadly consequences of godless regimes and

lifestyles, many people are yearning for the knowledge of truth and

the way of salvation. Together, guided by charity and respect for

freedom, we seek to answer their desire, so as to bring them to the

sources of authentic life and true happiness. We seek the

intercession of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Thaddeus and

Bartholomew, of Saint Gregory the Illuminator and all Saintly

Pastors of the Catholic Church and the Armenian Church, and pray

the Lord to guide our communities so that, with one voice, we may

give witness to the Lord and proclaim the truth of salvation. We

also pray that around the world, wherever members of the Armenian

and the Catholic Church live side by side, all ordained ministers,

religious and faithful will "help to carry one another's burdens,

and in this way obey the law of Christ" (Gal 6: 2). May they

mutually sustain and assist one another, in full respect of their

particular identities and ecclesiastical traditions, avoiding to

prevail one over another: "so then, as often as we have the

chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who

belong to our family in the faith" (Gal 6:10).

 

Finally, we seek the intercession of the Holy Mother of God for the

sake of peace. May the Lord grant wisdom to the leaders of

nations, so that justice and peace may prevail throughout the

world. In these days in particular, we pray for peace in the

Middle East. May all the children of Abraham grow in mutual

respect and find appropriate ways for living peacefully together in

this sacred part of the world.

[Guest]

My mother was in the Vatican on this very touchy and holy litourgy. She was very happy and very inspired by this unity and grace.

She said that the whole litourgy was very Armenian and most prayers were in Armenian.

 

I only want to add that I pray that the Vatican will ( and can ) use its infuence to help the R. of Armenia.

[Guest]

Raffi,

 

Vatican has been hostile to Armenia throughout centuries. The sole reason being the interpretation of the Armenian Church of the Holly Trinity. Because of this, Vatican has basically rejected the notion of Armenians being Christians, or has coined the term Armenian Heresy, when describing the theological foundations of Armenian Church.

 

The first significant document that Garegin I signed was the elimination of the differences. I remember only three Bishops protested it - Pargev Srbazan of Kharabagh, Tiran Srbazan of Moscow, and another one, I think from Argentina. Unfortunately, don't remember the name of the third one.

 

The confirmation of that document by Garegin II means that this is the official line of the Armenian Church.

 

My question is if this was to be done at the end of the 20th Century, why couldn't it be done centuries ago, and sparing our country from enormous hostilities?

 

NBy the way, I think there is nothing wrong with this new development. I am not critical of it.

 

The interesting thing is that our nation hasn't really realized what a dramatic change of the foundations of the Armenian Church has taken place. The reason is that our "religious community" had never understood what is it that makes the Armenian Church different from any other Christian Church.

 

This fact also demonstrates to me the faultiness of the association of the Armenian identity with the Church or religion.

[Guest]

Vatican City

Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office

November 10, 2000

 

VISITA UFFICIALE A PAPA GIOVANNI PAOLO II E ALLA CHIESA DI ROMA DEL

PATRIARCA SUPREMO E CATHOLICOS DI TUTTI GLI ARMENI, KAREKIN II (8-11

NOVEMBRE 2000)

 

OMELIA DEL SANTO PADRE GIOVANNI PAOLO II

Traduzione in lingua inglese

«I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep»

(Jn 10:11).

 

1. In the year 2001, the Armenian Church will celebrate the

seventeenth centenary of the Baptism of Armenia through the

ministry of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. Following the Good

Shepherd, Saint Gregory laid down his life for his sheep. Because

of his Christian faith, he spent many years imprisoned in a dark

pit by command of King Tiridates. Only after this cruel suffering

was Gregory free once again to bear public witness to his baptismal

vocation in all its fullness and proclaim the Gospel to the men and

women of his time.

 

The life of Saint Gregory foreshadowed the journey of the Armenian

Church through the ages. How often has the Armenian Church been

cast into the dark pit of persecution, violence and oblivion! How

often have her children in their prison darkness echoed the words

of the Prophet Micah: But as for me, I will look to the Lord. I

will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy! When I fall, I shall rise; when I

sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light (7:7-8). And this not

only in the distant past; the twentieth century too has been one of

the most tormented in the history of the Armenian Church, which

suffered terrible hardships of every kind. Now, thank God, there

are clear signs of a new springtime.

 

2. In today's celebration, I am delighted to return to Your

Holiness a relic of Saint Gregory the Illuminator which has been

kept in the Convent of Saint Gregory the Armenian in Naples, and

venerated there for many centuries. The relic will be placed in

the new Cathedral now being built in Yerevan as a symbol of hope

and of the Church's mission in Armenia after so many years of

oppression and silence. A place in the heart of a fast-growing

city in which to praise God, to listen to Sacred Scripture and to

celebrate the Eucharist will be an essential factor of

evangelization. I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill that sacred

place with his loving presence, glorious light and sanctifying

grace. My hope is that the new Cathedral will adorn with still

greater beauty the Bride of Christ in Armenia, where the People of

God have lived for centuries in the shadow of Mount Ararat.

Through the intercession of the Mother of God and Saint Gregory the

Illuminator, may the Armenian faithful draw new courage and

confidence from their Cathedral. And may the pilgrims coming from

far and wide experience the power of God's light radiating from

that holy shrine as they continue their journey of faith.

 

3. In the Cathedral of Yerevan, as in all others, there will be

the Altar of the Eucharist and the Patriarchal Chair. The Chair

and the Altar speak of the communion which already exists between

us. As the Second Vatican Council declared, all know the love with

which Christians of the East celebrate the Sacred Liturgy,

especially the Eucharist, well-spring of the Church's life and

pledge of future glory, in which the faithful united with the

Bishop have access to God the Father through the Son, the Word

Incarnate who died and was glorified, by the outpouring of the Holy

Spirit. The Council Fathers went on to say that the Eastern

Churches, however separated they may be, have true Sacraments and

above all, by virtue of the Apostolic Succession, the Priesthood

and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain united with us by

the closest bonds (Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 15).

 

Through history there have been many contacts between the Catholic

Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church; and there have been

various attempts to restore full communion. Now we must pray and

work fervently that the day will soon come when our Sees and the

Bishops will be in full communion once more, when we can celebrate

together, at the same Altar, the Eucharist as the supreme sign and

source of unity in Christ. Until that day dawns, each of our

Eucharistic celebrations will suffer the absence of the brother who

is not yet there.

 

4. Dear and venerable Brother in Christ, Saint Paul speaks to us

in the words we have heard from the Acts of the Apostles: Take

heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit

has made you overseers, to care for the Church of God, which he

acquired with his own blood (20:28). Ours is a great

responsibility. Christ has entrusted to our pastoral care that

which is most precious to him on earth: the Church which he

acquired with his own blood.

 

I beg the Lord, through the intercession of Saint Gregory the

Illuminator, to pour out his abundant blessings upon you, my

Brothers in the Episcopate, and upon all the Pastors of the

Apostolic Armenian Church. May the Spirit inspire and guide you in

your pastoral ministry to the Armenian people, both in the land of

your birth and throughout the world. To your fraternal prayer I

entrust my own ministry as Bishop of Rome: that I may be able to

exercise this ministry more and more as a service of love

recognized by all concerned (Encyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint, 95),

so that all will at last be one (cf. Jn 17:21).

 

5. Let me conclude with the fervent plea which I made to the

Mother of God thirteen years ago, during the Marian Year, and which

rises from my heart again today:

 

O holy Mother of God, ... look upon the land of Armenia, upon its

mountains, where a countless host of holy and learned monks have

lived; look upon its churches, upon the rocks which rise from

rocks, filled with the radiance of the Trinity; look upon the stone

crosses, memorials of your Son, whose Passion continues in the

suffering of the martyrs. Watch over the sons and daughters of

Armenia throughout the world... Inspire the desires and hopes of

the young, that they may remain always proud of their origins.

Grant that, wherever they may go, they will listen to their

Armenian heart, for in those depths there will always be a prayer

to their Lord and a sense of surrender to you who cover them with

your mantle of refuge. O most sweet Virgin, O Mother of Christ and

Mother of us all, Mary (Homily, Divine Liturgy in the Armenian

Rite, 21 November 1987). Amen. [02262-02.01] [Original text:

Italian]

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www.vatican.va/cgi-bin/w3-msql/news_services/bulletin/news/7981.html?index=7981&lang=it

[Guest]

Vatican City

Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office

November 10, 2000

VISITA UFFICIALE A PAPA GIOVANNI PAOLO II E ALLA CHIESA DI ROMA DEL

PATRIARCA SUPREMO E CATHOLICOS DI TUTTI GLI ARMENI, KAREKIN II (8-11

NOVEMBRE 2000) - III

OMELIA DI SUA SANTITÀ KAREKIN II

 

Blessed is God, who has guided our efforts to reach out to sister

churches in this year marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth

of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the first year of our reign as

Catholicos of All Armenians. In embracing our spiritual brethren,

we renew and reinforce the centuries-old ties and cooperation

between us. With a grateful heart we offer prayers of thanksgiving

to the Almighty, as we exchange with the head of the Roman Catholic

Church the love and reverence we share in Christ.

 

Your Holiness, our heart abounds with joy on this occasion. Our

visit to Rome has been greeted with an unparalleled display of

welcome, crowned by brotherly love. From the hand of Your

Holiness, the worthy and wise successor of the Holy Apostle Peter,

we, the successor of the Holy Apostle Thaddeus and the Apostle-like

St. Gregory the Illuminator, gratefully receive the relic of the

latter, who is considered the Second Enlightener of the Armenian

people and a great saint of the holy universal Church. This event

is indeed a joyous milestone in the life of all Armenians living in

the homeland and throughout the diaspora. Today, the Roman

Catholic Church has presented a priceless treasure to the

Armenians, to acknowledge the 1700th anniversary of the declaration

of Christianity as the national religion of Armenia.

 

Joining us in this holy cathedral today are a number of our

children, who have come to Rome from twelve countries on five

continents; their presence bears witness to the joy and exultation

of our entire people. Their prayers, along with those of our

clergymen and those of our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters,

intermingle under these hallowed arches to beseech the intercession

of the Holy Enlightener and father of our faith--that great saint

whom you call Gregory the Armenian. These prayers raise an

immaterial edifice, which "grows into a holy temple in the Lord"

(Eph 2:21) through our love and faith in Christ. It is a cathedral

of light, built not by mortal hands--among whose architects is St.

Gregory the Illuminator, the great confessor of Christ, pre-eminent

law-giver of the Armenian nation, and our first catholicos.

 

Seventeen hundred years ago, St. Gregory emerged from his unjust

imprisonment. He had previously endured unspeakable torture, and

had been subject to thirteen years' confinement in Khor Virab, the

dungeon of the doomed. But by the will of God he was released.

Despite his sufferings he rejected bitterness, and took up the way

of purity by resuming his preaching of the life-giving word of God.

The Light of the Gospel intensified in the land of the Armenians,

resulting in the miraculous conversion of our people. Later,

through St. Gregory's visionary eyes, our nation witnessed the

Risen Savior, clad in light, descending from the unreachable

heavens to smite the soil of our homeland. The power of St.

Gregory's faith transformed the character and meaning of our

national life. Since that time--and unto the ages of ages--that

faith has borne the seal of Christ, and is anchored in Holy

Etchmiadzin, which rose from the earth at the descent of the Only

Begotten. In the fitting words of the historian Arakel Davrijetsi:

"The entire Armenian nation is attached to the Hand of St. Gregory

[i.e. his relic] and Holy Etchmiadzin" (ch. xvii).

 

St. Gregory, the shepherd who dedicated his life unsparingly to

the Armenian people, has never left his flock. When we were beset

by wolves, or scattered across the world, or taken into captivity

by unholy usurpers; as we stand at the crossroads of history, or

lie in our eternal rest--he has been with us, sharing our

tribulations.

 

In the name of our people, we express our thanks and appreciation

to His Eminence Michele Giordano, the Cardinal of Naples, and to

the devoted sisters of the Monastery of St. Gregory, who have

reverently protected the relics as well as the instruments that

tortured the great confessor of Christ. For five centuries, these

relics have attracted thousands of pilgrims to the Monastery of St.

Gregory, thus perpetuating the inspirational and mysterious mission

of a saint who dedicated his life to God. Today, our holy

Illuminator returns to his people, to rejoice with them in the

atmosphere of freedom and independence, and to bestow his blessings

on the land of Ararat by means of his illustrious relics.

 

Like other Christians, our people have had a long history of

zealously venerating the relics of saints--to the surprise and

discouragement of enemies who would force us to deny the truth of

Christianity. Though others have tried to strip us of our faith,

Christianity is not a garment to be worn and tossed away, but is to

our people the very hue and texture of our skin. Attempts to

change such things can only be vain, and Armenians have been

willing to prove this--even at the cost of their own martyrdom.

Likewise with Christ beside us, fortified by the sacraments of the

church and the relics of the saints, we have stood our ground on

the saving road of the Cross, defending the embattled citadel of

Christendom in the East.

 

Even so, today our people are deprived of many relics and holy

shrines located in the vestiges of historic Armenia, which still

attest to the Christian presence in those lands, and which have

been sanctified by the sweat and blood of the Armenian people.

Most of the Armenians present here are the offspring of the remnant

of our people that survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Having

been deported from their historic homeland, after wandering from

place to place, they finally settled in the various countries of

the world and established the present-day Armenian diaspora. The

people in our entourage are descendants of those who sought refuge

from the Genocide; today they are upright and devoted citizens of

their respective countries, and enjoy the respect and trust of

their adoptive and beloved homelands. The fact that Ottoman Turkey

perpetrated the Armenian Genocide is well known to the clergy of

the Western churches, who followed the philanthropic example of

Christ and stretched out their hands to assist our afflicted

people.

 

Consequently, we harbor a deep sense of gratitude to all those who

rendered support to us in those terrible days. This feeling will

never be extinguished from our hearts; nor will the affection we

feel towards others who came to our aid during the Genocide, and

during the earthquake of Spitak, the tribulations associated with

our transition to independence, and the Karabagh movement. The

Roman Catholic Church, too, has not remained aloof from our

distress in recent times. Indeed, Your Holiness' comforting and

encouraging words spoken on numerous occasions still ring in our

ears. Your Holiness: In pursuing the relationship between our two

churches, we feel your spirit of brotherly love towards the

Armenian Church and people. Several years ago, in yet another

loving gesture, you dispatched to the Armenian Apostolic Church the

relics of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew, co-worker with St.

Thaddeus in the task of evangelizing the Armenian people. Your

visits and those of your predecessor, Pope Paul VI, to the

countries of the Near East and to several Armenian churches have

been a great comfort to our people. We were especially grateful

during your visit to the Holy Land this past spring, when you chose

the hallowed ground of the Sts. James Armenian Cathedral as the

site to offer your prayer to our Savior.

 

Last year our people prepared with great enthusiasm and affection

to welcome Your Holiness to our homeland of Armenia, where freedom

is now being pursued under the gaze of Mount Ararat. Alas, the

health of the blessed Catholicos Karekin I reached a crisis, and

your visit could not go forward at that time. But our hope to play

host to Your Holiness remains strong, and our people look forward

to celebrating the 1700th Jubilee of the Armenian Apostolic Church

in Your comforting presence.

 

We thankfully repeat our invitation to you on this momentous

occasion of our meeting and your presentation of the Relics of St.

Gregory the Illuminator to the Armenian Church. And we beseech the

Lord that Your Holiness as well as all the spiritual leaders of the

Christian churches will pray for the intercession of the Holy

Illuminator, so that our holy faith may be renewed in the Armenia

of today as it was in the Armenia of 1700 years ago. We pray that

the holy saints will intercede with our Heavenly Father, so that He

may bless our encounter and guide us in our duties, for the sake of

His glory and for the well-being of our faithful churches. Amen.

[02272-02.01] [Original text: English]

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[Guest]

A successful bargain!

_____________________________________________

The Vatican recognized the Armenian genocide

 

Cyber Thesis Journal

Nov 16, 2000

 

The Vatican recognized for the first time the Armenian genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in a formal document, according to the newspaper "La Stampa". In the document a clear reference is made to

the 1915 "ethnic and religious cleansing" that resulted to the extermination of a Christian community and the deaths of 1.5 million people.

 

According to the newspaper, the recognition of the genocide is included in a joint statement issued immediately after the meeting of Pope John-Paul II with head of the Armenian Church Karekin II last

Friday.

 

In the joint statement is mentioned that the 20th century was stigmatized by events of extreme violence and the Armenian genocide

was the beginning of the atrocities that followed namely, two World Wars, numerous regional conflicts and organized extermination campaigns that resulted to the deaths of millions of faithful people.

[Guest]

13-Feb-2001 -- Vatican Information Service

HOLY FATHER TO PRESIDE AT LITURGY IN ARMENIAN RITE

VATICAN CITY, FEB 13, 2001 (VIS) - On Sunday, February 18, at 9 a.m. in St.

Peter's Basilica, Pope John Paul II will preside at the divine liturgy in

the Armenian rite on the occasion of the 17th centenary of the baptism of

the Armenian people, according to a communique from the Office of

Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. It adds that the liturgy

will be celebrated by His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, patriarch of Cilicia

of the Armenian Catholics.

[MJ]

17-Feb-2001 -- Vatican Information Service

 

APOSTOLIC LETTER: 1700TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIA'S BAPTISM

 

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was the Apostolic

Letter, dated February 2, written by the Pope for the occasion of the

anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People.

 

John Paul II recalled that the conversion of the Armenian people to

Christianity occurred seventeen centuries ago. "It was an event which

profoundly marked your identity; not only your personal identity, but that

of the community as well. For this reason one can speak of the 'Baptism' of

your nation, even if in reality the spreading of Christianity had already

begun some time earlier in your land."

 

After a brief narration of the events which, according to tradition, were

at the origin of the massive conversion of the Armenian people, the Pope

writes: "The preaching of the Good News and the conversion of Armenia are

above all founded on the blood of witnesses to the faith. ... The component

of martyrdom constitutes an constant element in the history of your people.

... The entire culture and very spirituality of the Armenians are pervaded

by the boldness of the supreme sign of the gift of life in martyrdom. ...

One such emblem is the sacrifice of Vardan Mamikonian and his companions"

who, facing attempts to impose mazdaism (zoroastrianism), "gave their life

to remain faithful to Christ and defend the faith of the nation."

 

The Pope emphasized that since then similar events have been repeated, "up

through the massacres suffered by the Armenians in the years spanning the

19th and 20th centuries and culminating in the tragic events of 1915, when

the Armenian people suffered unspeakable violence, the painful consequences

of which are still visible in the diaspora into which many of its sons have

been constrained. It is a memory which cannot be lost."

 

Furthermore, the Holy Father recalled, these bloody events have compelled

the Armenian people "to continual migrations throughout the world." But, he

writes, "the Christian faith, even in the most tragic moments of Armenian

history, has been the propulsive spring which has marked the beginning of

the rebirth of this tried people."

 

Another element "of great value in your troubled history" is comprised of

the "relation between evangelization and culture." From the term

"'Illuminator,' as St. Gregory the Apostle of Armenia is named" is derived

'Illumination', a term which indicates that "through Baptism, the disciple

... is inundated by the splendor of Christ 'light of the world'." Such a

term also indicates "the spreading of culture through teaching, entrusted

in particular to the monk-teachers, who continue the evangelical preaching

of St. Gregory."

 

The Pope then points to the "powerful force of faith, which prompts us not

to give in to the temptations of power and of the world, and which enables

us to resist atrocious sufferings as well as the most seductive flattery."

When man distances himself from God, "he loses his own dignity, debasing

himself, and thus becoming a prisoner of his own avidity." An important

truth in all of this emerges, he says: "An absolute sacredness of power

does not exist, and this doesn't mean to say that it is always justified in

everything one does. One must, rather, recognize the personal

responsibility of one's choices: if they are wrong, they remain such, even

if a king makes them."

 

The Holy Father says he wants to express to the Lord "the gratitude of the

entire Church for having inspired in the Armenian people a faith which is

so firm and courageous and for having always supported them in their

witness to it. ... I want to express my thanks to the Armenian people above

all for their long history of fidelity to Christ, a fidelity which has

known persecution and martyrdom."

 

"The Armenian people's patrimony of faith and culture has enriched mankind

with treasures of art and talent, which are now spread throughout the

world. ... Ambassadors of peace and industriousness, Armenians have

travelled the world and, ... have offered a precious contribution to

transforming it and making it closer to the Father's project of love."

 

John Paul II expressed "a special thought to all those who worked so that

Armenia could rise from the sufferings of so many years of a totalitarian

regime."

 

"I also fervently hope that the faithful will courageously continue their

commitment and their already notable efforts so that the Armenia of

tomorrow will bloom again in the human and Christian values of justice,

solidarity, equality, respect, honesty and hospitality which are at the

basis of human coexistence."

 

He underscores how "the already cordial relations between the Armenian

Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church have had, in recent decades, a

decisive thrust through meetings between the Pope and the highest

authorities of that Church." In particular he cites the encounter with His

Holiness Karekin II to whom he gave the relics of Gregory the Illuminator

for the new cathedral in Yerevan.

 

Remarking on tomorrow's liturgy in the Armenian rite in St. Peter's

Basilica, "with Armenians and for Armenians ... to praise God for the gift

of faith they have received," the Pope writes: "It is my great hope that

that sacred thanksgiving will embrace all Armenians, wherever they are."