His Holiness Karekin II and His Holiness Shenouda III Visit St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral
03.05.2003
In the evening of May 2, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and His Holiness Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, visited St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan. The Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, based in Egypt, is in Armenia at the invitation of the Catholicos.
As the Pontifical procession entered the Cathedral, the Pontiffs of the Sister Churches paused before the Holy Relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator and paid homage. Over 1,000 faithful had gathered in the Cathedral to hear the messages of the Coptic Patriarch and the Catholicos of All Armenians.
The faithful participated in Evening Services under the presidency of the two Pontiffs, and the participation of Armenian Apostolic and Coptic Orthodox Bishops, high-ranking Armenian clergymen, Members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the altar-servers and choir of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral.
At the conclusion of Evening Services, His Holiness Karekin II addressed his message to His Holiness Shenouda III, welcoming him to Yerevan's Mother Cathedral. In his remarks, the Catholicos stated, "For many centuries and many generations, the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Armenian Church have maintained the same doctrine and the same faith. Although separated by distance, we have been unified in spirit, living and trusting in God, being subjected to many torments for the sake of our faith, and leading our people towards the Kingdom of Heaven. Our love and devotion for God granted life and eternity to our nations. It gave us the energy and vigor to continue and prevail in all conditions. We did not bend nor falter, we did not give way to difficulties, we did not kneel; on the contrary, we were strengthened, and through our faith we created our future. Likewise, the visit of His Holiness Shenouda III strengthens and reinforces our Holy Church."
Pope Shenouda thanked the Catholicos for the warm reception and called upon the faithful in attendance to increase their faith and their love. He asked them to pray for himself, The Coptic Orthodox Church, her clergy and all of her faithful. He also asked them to pray for His Holiness Karekin II, mentioning that the Catholicos of All Armenians truly has a difficult and challenging mission in Armenia and the Diaspora. Pope Shenouda stated he was confident that the fraternal love between the two churches would strengthen, and prayed for the Holy Spirit to always guide and strengthen the Armenian Nation, and the ranks of her faithful clergy.
