(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent the following telegram to the President of the Republic of Croatia , Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović :
As I fly over Croatia on my way to Armenia for a pastoral visit, I send cordial greetings to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens, together with my prayers that Almighty God will bless all of you with peace and well-being.
Franciscus PP.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis arrives in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Friday afternoon for his 14th foreign pastoral visit. He’ll be spending three days in the country, travelling to the nearby town of Etchmiadzin, seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as to the northern city of Gyumri and to the famous Khor Virap monastery on the border with Turkey.
Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as the state religion at the beginning of the fourth century and the great majority of people in the country today belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church which is part of the Oriental Orthodox family.
Relations with other Christian communities, including the small Armenian Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches, are very good and Pope Francis will be focusing on the importance of ecumenical dialogue and action at a prayer service on Saturday in Yerevan’s Republic Square.
To find out more, Philippa Hitchen spoke to Fr John Barker who heads the tiny Anglican community in Armenia and represents the Archbishop of Canterbury for relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church….
Listen:
Fr John says there is an impressive level of warmth, agreement and mutual understanding in Armenia between all the different Churches.
He says the people have a dual hope for this papal visit: firstly that the memory of the genocide, a century ago, will be brought back into the public eye. But “just as importantly” he says, there is a hope that “it will show again that we have the potential to speak as one Christian voice, irrespective of whether we come from an Apostolic, a Catholic or an Anglican background.
The Armenian Church today, he continues, have a “very significant voice” in public life, since around 95% of people are members of the Church and around half of those practice their faith on a regular basis.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has departed from Italy for a three-day Apostolic Voyage to Armenia .
As the Pope began his journey, he sent the following telegram to Sergio Mattarella , the President of Italy:
In the moment in which I undertake my Apostolic Voyage to Armenia in order to draw from the ancient wisdom of that people, to confirm them in the faith, to support every effort along the path of peace and reconciliation, I address to you, Mr President, and to the whole Italian nation my cordial greetings, which I accompany with an encouragement to the entire country to remain on the front line of solidarity, looking to the future with confidence and hope.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is on his way to Armenia, the “first Christian nation,” for a three day pastoral visit. The journey to the former Soviet Caucasus region will be the Pope’s 14 th foreign trip as pontiff.
He will return to the area again in September for visits to Georgia and Azerbaijan. The focus of the visit will be to consolidate ecumenical relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church, to encourage the small, local minority Catholic Church, and to show the Pope’s closeness to Armenian Christians who historically, suffered periods of persecution and massacres.
Francis departed Rome’s Fiumicino airport shortly before 9.30 am; he is due to arrive in four hours’ time at ‘Zvartnots’ international airport in Yerevan, at around 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT). Following the airport welcoming ceremony with local dignitaries, the Pope will pray at the apostolic Cathedral in Etchmiadzin. For the duration of his visit, Pope Francis will reside at the Apostolic Palace, seat of the Supreme Patriarch (Catholicos) of All Armenians, Karekin II.
Pope Francis will pay a courtesy visit Friday to the President of the Republic Serzh Sargsyan in the Presidential Palace in Yerevan, where he will meet with national and civil authorities and members of the diplomatic corps. Later, the Pope will meet privately with the Catholicos Karekin II in the Apostolic Palace of Etchmiadzin.
As is his tradition, on the eve of his trip, Pope Francis went in private to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore Thursday evening, where he remained in prayer before the image of Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani, asking her to bless his visit to Armenia. As in prior visits to the Marian shrine, the Pope laid flowers on the altar in homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) As has become customary, Pope Francis on Thursday paid a private visit to the Basilica of St Mary Major on the eve of his Apostolic Voyage to Armenia .
The Holy Father prayed before the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as “ Salus Populi Romani ,” (Protectress of the Roman People), asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to bless his journey, according to a press release from Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., the Director of the Holy See Press Office. Pope Francis left a bouquet of flowers, in the colours of the Armenian flag, at the altar after his prayer.
Pope Francis departs Rome for Armenia on Friday for a three day visit.
(from Vatican Radio)…