Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On February 28, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; met with the students of different faculties of the Yerevan State University. They were accompanied by the Board of Trustees at YSU, Candidate of History, Associate Professor Mikayel Malkhasyan. First of all, Mr. Malkhasyan, welcoming His Holiness with filial humility, informed that the attendees are the members of the “YSU Supports the Families of the Victims” Initiative of the Yerevan State University. Co-author of the initiative Mr. Eduard Galstyan also delivered a speech. He noted that the initiative is aimed at supporting and strengthening the families who lost their children and relatives because of the war. He expressed hope that the Church, faithful to its mission, makes its irreplaceable contribution to this case. Then, the Catholicos of All Armenians welcomed the initiative of the young students; conveying His Pontifical appreciation and Blessings. The Armenian Pontiff considered the initiative of those present natural and important, emphasizing that it is the duty and responsibility of everyone to support those families in this difficult time. Speaking about the losses of the second war of Artsakh, His Holiness noted, that the memory of our martyrs should be a source of inspiration for us to live, to forge and fill with new hope for the future. The Pontiff of All Armenians reflected on the "Artsakh Outreach" program of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin and its goals, as well as, the support of the dioceses and Armenian benefactors all over the world, for the implementation of that program. Referring to the activities of the Church during the war and in the post-war days, His Holiness informed, that both spiritual care and social assistance programs have been implemented: the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin tried its best to resolve the the residential issues of displaced families from Artsakh. The Armenian Patriarch spoke with the young people about the importance of the spiritual care of the families of the wounded, the martyred, the captives and the missing ones. In this regard, it was informed, that taking into account the subtlety of the problem; special training courses were organized for the clergy with the involvement of relevant specialists. The Armenian Patriarch informed, that it is planned to establish rehabilitation centers near the Mother See and the monasteries in the future. At the conclusion, the participants addressed their questions to the Catholicos of All Armenians.