“How good and how pleasant it is,<\/p>\n
when brothers live in unity!” (Ps 133:1).<\/p>\n
Praised be Jesus Christ!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Last Sunday Your Holiness and the entire Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin had the joy of<\/p>\n
consecrating this new Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, as a worthy memorial of<\/p>\n
Armenia\u2019s seventeen centuries of fidelity to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This splendid<\/p>\n
Shrine bears witness to the faith handed down to you by your fathers, and it speaks to us all of<\/p>\n
the hope which today inspires the Armenian people to look to the future with renewed trust and<\/p>\n
courageous determination.<\/p>\n
For me, to preside with Your Holiness at this Ecumenical Liturgy is a source of great personal<\/p>\n
happiness. It is, as it were, the continuation of our common Prayer last year in Saint Peter\u2019s<\/p>\n
Basilica in Rome. There, together, we venerated the relic of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, and<\/p>\n
today the Lord grants us to do so again here in Yerevan. I embrace Your Holiness with the<\/p>\n
same fraternal affection with which you embraced me on your visit to Rome.<\/p>\n
I am grateful to Your Excellency the President of the Republic for your presence at this<\/p>\n
ecumenical meeting, a sign of our shared belief that the nation will thrive and prosper through<\/p>\n
the mutual respect and cooperation of all its institutions. My thoughts turn to His Holiness Aram<\/p>\n
I, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and to the Armenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem and<\/p>\n
Constantinople: I send them greetings in the love of the Lord. I warmly greet the distinguished<\/p>\n
members of all the civic and religious bodies and communities represented here this evening.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When, through the preaching of Saint Gregory, King Tiridates III was converted, a new light<\/p>\n
dawned in the long history of the Armenian people. The universality of the faith was wedded<\/p>\n
inseparably to your national identity. The Christian faith rooted itself in a lasting way in this<\/p>\n
land, gathered around Mount Ararat, and the word of the Gospel profoundly influenced the<\/p>\n
language, family life, culture and art of the Armenian people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While preserving and developing its own identity, the Armenian Church did not hesitate to<\/p>\n
engage in dialogue with other Christian traditions and to draw on their spiritual and cultural<\/p>\n
patrimony. At a very early stage, not only the Sacred Scriptures but the major works of the<\/p>\n
Syriac, Greek and Latin Fathers as well were translated into Armenian. The Armenian liturgy<\/p>\n
drew its inspiration from the liturgical traditions of the Church in the East and in the West.<\/p>\n
Thanks to this remarkable openness of spirit, the Armenian Church throughout its history has<\/p>\n
been particularly sensitive to the cause of Christian unity. Holy Patriarchs and Doctors such as<\/p>\n
Saint Isaac the Great, Babgh\u00e8n of Otmus, Zakary of Dzag, Ners\u00e8s \u0160norhali, Ners\u00e8s of Lambron,<\/p>\n
Stephen of Salmast, James of Julfa and others were renowned for their zeal for the unity of the<\/p>\n
Church.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In his letter to the Byzantine Emperor, Ners\u00e8s \u0160norhali set out principles of ecumenical dialogue<\/p>\n
which have lost none of their relevance. Among his many insights, he insists that the search for<\/p>\n
unity is a task of the whole community, and it cannot be allowed to create internal divisions<\/p>\n
within the Churches; he also teaches that there is a need for the healing of memories in order<\/p>\n
to overcome past resentments and prejudices; that mutual respect and a sense of equality<\/p>\n
between the spokesmen of the various Churches are indispensable; and finally he says that<\/p>\n
Christians must have a profound interior conviction that unity is essential, not for strategic<\/p>\n
advantage or political gain but for the sake of preaching the Gospel as Christ commands. The<\/p>\n
insights of the great Armenian Doctor are the fruit of remarkable pastoral wisdom, and I make<\/p>\n
them my own among you today.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers live in unity” (Ps 133:1). When in 1970<\/p>\n
Pope Paul VI and Catholicos Vazk\u00e8n I exchanged the kiss of peace, they launched a new era of<\/p>\n
fraternal contacts between the Church of Rome and the Armenian Church. Their meeting was<\/p>\n
soon followed by other important visits. I myself have very happy memories of the visits to<\/p>\n
Rome of His Holiness Karekin I, first as Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, then as<\/p>\n
Catholicos of Etchmiadzin. From the time he took part as an observer at the Second Vatican<\/p>\n
Council, Catholicos Karekin I never ceased to work to promote friendly relations and practical<\/p>\n
cooperation between Christians of East and West. I would have dearly loved to visit him here in<\/p>\n
Armenia, but his ill health and untimely death made that impossible. I give thanks to the Lord<\/p>\n
for having given us this great man of the Church, a wise and courageous champion of Christian<\/p>\n
unity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Your Holiness, I am truly happy to be able to return the visit which you made to me in Rome,<\/p>\n
together with a delegation of Armenian Bishops and faithful. I saw your generous invitation to<\/p>\n
visit Armenia and Holy Etchmiadzin as a great sign of friendship and ecclesial charity. For long<\/p>\n
centuries contacts between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Church of Rome were warm<\/p>\n
and intense, and the desire for full unity never disappeared altogether. My visit today testifies<\/p>\n
to our shared yearning to dwell in the full unity which the Lord wills for his disciples. We are<\/p>\n
close to Mount Ararat, where tradition says that the Ark of Noah came to rest. Like the dove<\/p>\n
returning with the olive branch of peace and love (cf. Gen 8:11), I pray that my visit will be a<\/p>\n
kind of consecration of the already rich and fruitful cooperation existing between us.<\/p>\n
There is a real and intimate unity between the Catholic Church and the Church of Armenia since<\/p>\n
both preserve apostolic succession and have valid sacraments, particularly Baptism and the<\/p>\n
Eucharist. Our awareness of this must inspire us to work even harder to strengthen our<\/p>\n
ecumenical dialogue. In this dialogue of faith and love no question, no matter how difficult,<\/p>\n
should be overlooked. Conscious of the relevance of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome in the<\/p>\n
search for Christian unity, I have asked \u2013 in my Encyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint \u2013 that the<\/p>\n
Bishops and theologians of our Churches reflect on “forms in which this ministry may<\/p>\n
accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned” (No. 95). The example of the first<\/p>\n
centuries of the Church\u2019s life can guide us in this discernment. My ardent prayer is for a renewal<\/p>\n
of the “exchange of gifts” of which the Church of the first millennium gave such wonderful<\/p>\n
examples. May the memory of the time when the Church “breathed with both lungs” spur<\/p>\n
Christians of East and West to walk together in unity of faith and with respect for legitimate<\/p>\n
diversity, accepting and sustaining each other as members of the one Body of Christ (cf. Novo<\/p>\n
Millennio Ineunte, 48).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
With one heart let us contemplate Christ who is our peace and who has brought about the<\/p>\n
unity of what was divided (cf. Eph 2:14). Time is pressing, and ours is a sacred and urgent<\/p>\n
task. We must proclaim the good news of salvation to the men and women of our time. Having<\/p>\n
experienced the spiritual emptiness of communism and materialism, they are seeking the path<\/p>\n
to life and happiness: they are thirsting for the Gospel. We have a great responsibility towards<\/p>\n
them, and they expect from us a convincing witness of unity of faith and mutual love. As we<\/p>\n
work for full communion, let us do together what we do not have to do separately. Let us work<\/p>\n
together, with full respect for our distinctive identities and traditions. Never again Christians<\/p>\n
against Christians, never again Church against Church! Rather, let us walk together, hand in<\/p>\n
hand, so that the world of the Twenty-first Century and the new Millennium may believe!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Armenian people have always had great veneration for the Cross of Christ. Down the<\/p>\n
centuries the Cross has been their unfailing source of hope in times of trial and suffering. A<\/p>\n
striking feature of this land are the many crosses in the form of the khatchkar, testifying to your<\/p>\n
steadfast fidelity to the Christian faith. At this time of year, the Armenian Church celebrates one<\/p>\n
of its great feasts: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lifted up from the earth on the wood of the Cross, Jesus Christ, our salvation, our life and our<\/p>\n
resurrection, draws us all to himself (cf. Jn 12:32). O Cross of Christ, our true hope! Wherever<\/p>\n
sin and human weakness have caused division, give us strength to forgive and be reconciled<\/p>\n
with one another. O Cross of Christ, be our strength as we work to restore full communion<\/p>\n
between all who look upon the Crucified Lord as our Saviour and our God. Amen.<\/p>\n
I am grateful for your attention and I invoke God\u2019s blessings upon our steps towards full unity!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
APOSTOLIC VOYAGE IN ARMENIA
\nECUMENICAL CELEBRATION
\nHOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II
\nCathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator
\nYerevan, 26 September 2001<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other-posts","category-visit-of-pope-john-paul-ii-to-armenia-2001"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28043,"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28040\/revisions\/28043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}