International Orthodox Christian News

After the private meeting His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, had their public meeting in the Vatican. They presided over a special church service especially prepared for this occasion.

At the end of the service, greeting the visit of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, the Pope said that this meeting today “stands in continuity with the visit which you made to my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II in January 1997, and with the many other contacts and mutual visits which, by God’s grace, have led in recent years to closer relations between Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church”. He referred to the 20^th century, as a “century, which proved a time of unspeakable suffering for your people. The faith and devotion of the Armenian people have been constantly sustained by the memory of the many martyrs who have borne witness to the Gospel down the centuries”.

Speaking about the ecumenical relations of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, Pope said that “The See of Cilicia has long been involved in encouraging positive ecumenical contacts between the Churches”. His Holiness also referred the Christian presence in the Middle East: “I cannot fail to assure you of my daily prayers and deep concern for the people of Lebanon and the Middle East. How can we not be grieved by the tensions and conflicts which continue to frustrate all the efforts to foster reconciliation and peace at every level of civil and political life in the region? Most recently we have all been saddened by the escalation of persecution and violence against Christians in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere. Only when the countries involved can determine their own destiny, and the various ethnic groups and religious communities accept each other fully, will peace be built on the solid foundations of solidarity, justice and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples” said the Pope.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I addressing His Holiness the Pope said that “we must continue the ecumenical journey of our predecessors. We firmly believe that this is the only way, sustained by our Lord’s commandment of love and unity that shall lead us to a common mission in a world in dire need of the life-giving message of the Gospel”. He reminded the Pope that “the ecumenical relations and collaboration of our two Churches are deeply rooted in our respective histories. In fact, due to geo-political circumstances, when the Armenians were obliged to leave Armenia and establish their national and political life in Cilicia, the Armenian Church, too, moved its administrative center, the Catholicosate, from Armenia to Cilicia. This new environment, with its multi-religious, multi-confessional and multi-ethnic character, engaged the Armenians in a creative and dynamic interaction with the Latin and Byzantine Churches”.

His Holiness referring complexities and polarizations of the world, as well as the corrupted values and violation of human rights the growing poverty, the genocides, denial of freedom and self determination and different form of injustice and discrimination, said that “in spite of our doctrinal, ecclesiological and theological differences, we must work together on the basis of our common apostolic faith and in faithfulness to our common calling”. Catholicos Aram I also emphasized the importance of inter-religious dialogue He said: “The world of today, with its growing pluralism, manifested in all spheres and aspects of the society life, calls our Churches to involve themselves in a responsible inter-faith dialogue. We are living in a globalized world characterized by interdependence and interaction. We must become part of the dialogue that preserves and articulates the integrity and uniqueness of Christian faith and opens God’s revelation, enfolded in the Bible and the Tradition, to other religions, while at the same time, respecting their traditions and values. Lebanon, where I come from, is, indeed, a country of such dialogue”.

This public ceremony was followed by a lunch between two spiritual leaders accompanied by Cardinals and Archbishops.

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