A meeting of inter-church delegations and representatives was held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
27.09.2024
On September 27, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; a meeting of inter-church delegations and representatives took place in the Pontifical Residence, which was attended by His Eminence Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople; delegations of Christian Churches and inter-church structures; representatives of Hierarchical Sees, Bishops serving in the Mother See and diocesan Primates of the Armenian Church, who arrived in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on the occasion of the Blessing of the Holy Muron and reconsecration ceremonies of the Mother Cathedral.
From the Christian Churches and organizations attending the inter-church meeting were delegations and representatives of the Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Assyrian Orthodox, Indian Malabar, Serbian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, Czech and Slovak Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Finnish Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, Eastern Assyrian, Armenian Kathoghike, Finnish Lutheran, Armenian Evangelical Churches, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Renovabis charity organization, World and European Council of Churches.
The meeting began with the Lord's prayer, following which Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Garegin Hambardzumyan, director of the Inter-Church Relations’ Department of the Mother See welcomed the attendees. In his remarks, Archimandrtie Garegin referred to the importance of the blessing of the Holy Muron and the re-consecration of the Mother Cathedral in the life of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the Armenian people, and also expressed his gratitude to the representatives of the Sister Churches and inter-church structures for participating in the sacred ceremonies and united prayer.
Then, on this joyful occasion, pontifical remarks and welcome greetings were made by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, representative of the Roman Catholic Church; His Eminence Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh, representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archbishop Tapio Luoman of the Lutheran Church of Finland; Archbishop of Beirut of the Antiochian Orthodox Church His Eminence Mor Clemis Daniel Curien; Chairman of the World Council of Churches Dr. Henrikh Bedford-Ströhm; His Eminence Metropolitan Nikitas, President of the Council of Churches of Europe; His Grace Bishop Mark of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Paris and Northern France; His Grace Bishop Ignatius Sotiriadis of the Greek Orthodox Church; His Grace Bishop Varlaam Ploiesteanu of the Romanian Orthodox Church; the Bishop of the Indian Malankara Church secretary of the Ossian Synod; Mitropolitan Nora Jewnon Yuri Khrisostom; His Eminence Archbishop Juraj, Primate of Michalovec and Košice from the Orthodox Church of the Czech Republic and Slovakia; His Grace Bishop Dositej, Primate of Liplian of the Serbian Orthodox Church; Senior Priest Timo Tinkkinen from the Finnish Orthodox Church; Dr Markus Ingenlath from the charity Renovabis and His Grace Bishop Benjamin of Narsai, Primate of the Diocese of Iran, Armenia and Georgia of the Assyrian Church of the East.
During the meeting, the musical group "New Names" of Armenia gave artistic performances.
At the conclusion, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; conveyed his greetings to the churchmen gathered at the Mother See from different parts of the world.
The Armenian Patriarch, conveying his greetings to the representatives of sister Churches and inter-church structures, emphasized in particular: "On this sacred occasion of the blessing of Holy Muron and the re-consecration of the Mother Cathedral, we are all gathered here as children of God. We express our deep feelings for your participation in these most important ceremonies in the life of the Armenian Church. The prayerful presence of each of you at the Mother See is encouragement and support for the children of our people and is the assurance of your sincere respect for our nation and our Armenian Apostolic Holy Church."
In his remarks, referring to the sacrament of the Mother Cathedral, the Armenian Patriarch mentioned: "The Christ-based and enlightenment-proof Mother Cathedral is the witness of the life of the Armenian people, its struggles and victories, its losses and achievements, from where for centuries rays of faith have shone and strengthened the souls of Armenians, as well as many pilgrims and visitors."
The Patriarch of All Armenians, referring to the existing relations and interaction between Holy Etchmiadzin and sister Churches, confirmed that the Armenian Church through inter-church visits, joint initiatives and programs has always made its useful contribution to the rapprochement and fruition of inter-church relations and contributed to the strengthening of the spirit of Christian solidarity and fraternal love.
"We witnessed this brotherly love during a disastrous period for our country and people, when in September 2020, Azerbaijan unleashed large-scale military operations against the Republic of Artsakh with the open support of Turkey and the involvement of international terrorist groups. In 2023, as a result of the genocidal actions of Azerbaijan, Artsakh was occupied and depopulated. In those alarming days, our sister Churches strengthened us with their prayers, with their rebellion against injustice and crime. Even today, it is necessary to make consistent efforts to protect the right of forcibly displaced Artsakh citizens to return to their homeland, to preserve the spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh and to release our children who are still in captivity," stated His Holiness, conveying his feelings of gratitude to sister Churches and inter-church structures for the support shown to the Armenian people during these difficult years.
The Armenian Patriarch also spoke about the close cooperation formed between the sister Churches and the worldwide dioceses of the Armenian Church, thanks to which the spirit of mutual understanding and mutual respect is strengthened.
"Indeed, in today's stormy world with contradictions, this is the way to stop god denying processes, to prevent catastrophic tragedies and catastrophes, to resist the reprehensible manifestations of violating the dignity, rights and justice of individuals and peoples," emphasized the Armenian Patriarch, urging us to be lanterns of love and compassion in this world, following the example of Christ.
"Unity is our guiding light in our mission to serve Christ and His flock. Therefore, let's continue our journey with care, love and respect towards each other," said the Armenian Patriarch, asking the Heavenly Lord to keep the world under His heavenly graces and grant a peaceful, safe and prosperous life to all nations and bless His Holy Church and to all the tireless cultivators of the Lord's garden.
