Visit of His Holiness Aram I to the Vatican

From May 17 to 21, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church – See of Cilicia (Antelias, Lebanon), accompanied by a delegation of ten bishops from the Armenian diaspora, paid an official visit to the Vatican.

In addition to the private audience with the Holy Father and the general audience on May 20, the visit’s program included several meetings at the Vatican, including with the Secretary of State, the Prefects of the Dicasteries for Promoting Christian Unity, for Interreligious Dialogue, and for the Eastern Churches, as well as moments of prayer at the tomb of St. Peter, the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the statues of St. Gregory the Illuminator and St. Gregory of Narek at the Vatican. The Catholicos also gave a public lecture at the Pontifical Oriental Institute entitled “The Challenges of the Churches in the Middle East” and visited the Pontifical Armenian College.

At the conclusion of the visit, a press conference in the Marconi Hall of Vatican Radio provided an opportunity to address topics such as theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, ecumenical and interreligious challenges, and the situation of Christians in Lebanon.

The delegation of the Catholicos consisted of: His Eminence Gomidas Ohanian, Archbishop of Cyprus; His Eminence Kegham Khacherian, Archbishop of the Western United States; His Eminence Nareg Alemezian, Director of the Ecumenical Department; His Eminence Anoushavan Tanielian, Archbishop of the Eastern United States; His Eminence Papken Tcharian, Archbishop of Canada; His Eminence Shahe Panossian, Archbishop of Lebanon; His Eminence Magar Ashkarian, Archbishop of Aleppo, Syria; His Eminence Mesrob Sarkissian, Archbishop of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar; His Grace Dajad Ashkian, Chancellor of the Catholicosate; His Grace Sahag Yemishian, Bishop of Greece; the Reverend Father Hovagim Panjarjian, Director of Communications; and the Reverend Father Sarkis Aprahamian, Secretary.

^{Photos © Vatican Media, Cilicia TV}