Armenian Pilots from Sudan Convey their Appreciation to His Holiness Karekin II
On December 11, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, received coworkers of the Armenian civil aviation pilots who perished last month, in an airplane disaster in the Sudan. The pilots had come to the Mother See to express their appreciation to His Holiness for the assistance of the Church in organizing the transportation and burial of their colleagues. The crew of the airliner, Captain Samvel Mkrtchian, co-pilot Tigran Petrosian, navigator Nshan Hovhannisian and flight engineer Hovhannes Krunchoyan perished in the crash of their cargo airplane on November 17, just outside the city of Vau, Sudan. A fifth crewmember, Oleg Kunin was a Russian citizen from Uzbekistan.
The pilots also conveyed their special gratitude towards Rev. Fr. Muron Sarkissian, the parish priest of the Armenian Church and community in the Sudan. On the day of the tragedy, Fr. Muron personally traveled to the location of the crash to identify and claim the bodies, and initiated the work to transport the remains to Armenia for burial.
On November 18, Fr. Muron offered special requiem services in memory of the pilots in St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Sudan's capital city of Khartoum, prior to transporting the bodies to Dubai, and then to Armenia.
His Holiness expressed his deep condolences to the friends of the slain pilots, and requested that they convey his sympathies to their family and friends in Sudan. The Armenian Pontiff offered prayers up to God, asking that the consolation and comfort of the Holy Spirit descend upon the family members of those who have entered their eternal rest, and asked that the Right Hand of God always protect the pilots in their daily travels and labors.
