Visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul

On Sunday, 30 November, the Holy Father visited the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul, where he met with His Beatitude Sahak II and participated in a prayer service with the Armenian community.

Welcoming the Holy Father, Patriarch Sahak stated in his address that “Nicaea was more than a meeting of bishops; it was a spiritual turning point in Christian history, reminding us that unity is essential, that truth must be spoken with courage, and that our shared faith in Christ transcends nation, ethnicity, and time”.

In his greeting, giving thanks for the development of fraternal ties between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV stated that ‘we must also take inspiration from the experience of the early Church in order to restore full communion, a communion which does not imply absorption or domination, but rather an exchange of the gifts received by our Churches from the Holy Spirit for the glory of God the Father and the edification of the body of Christ (cf. Eph 4:12)”

The Holy Father also expressed his hope that the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches “will be able to resume promptly its fruitful work, seeking a model of full communion”.

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