His Holiness Karekin II Received MR. Joachim Gauck, Former President of Germany
16.09.2019
On September 15, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; met with MR. Joachim Gauck, Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany, who arrived in Armenia on a five-day visit AT the invitation OF His Holiness.
Present at the meeting were His Eminence Archbishop Natan Hovhannisyan; Director of the External Relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See; His Grace Bishop Serovbe Isakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese OF Germany and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Germany.
THE Catholicos of All Armenians welcomed the visit of the Former President of Germany to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. His Holiness expressed his gratitude to Mr. Gauck for his significant contribution to the Resolution on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide in 2016 in THE Bundestag of Germany.
His Holiness also briefly presented (presented) the guest the spiritual revival and achievements of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the life of the Armenian people, as well as, the activities which the Armenian Church has (been)carried out in the inter-church and inter-religious spheres.
Mr. Joachim Gauck expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Karekin II for the warm hospitality and the opportunity of visiting the ancient Christian sanctuary. He noted that “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” book by Franz Werfel links him to Armenia, which he has read during the time of his adolescence. The President also mentioned that his visit has good perspectives for the further expansion of the Armenian and German relations.
During the conversation, the spiritual and cultural importance of Christian values and its commitment in the life of societies were emphasized as well. The important role of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Evangelical Churches in Germany in the national identity formation, educational and cultural development was also emphasized. They also reflected on the partnership between THE two Churches in the fields of priests preparation courses on Theology, education and social services.
President Joachim Gauck reaffirmed his readiness to propel the Armenian-German relations and promote further development of its cooperation.
Being hosted in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany will visit ( to )Tsitsernakaberd to pay tribute to the blessed memory of THE Armenian Genocide victims, he will also visit some monasteries and historical-cultural sites of Armenia and get acquainted with the activities of various structures of the Armenian Church.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Joachim Gauck participated in the Divine Liturgy dedicated to the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the St. Gayane Monastery.
