His Holiness Zakka I Attends Divine Liturgy in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
22.10.2002
On Sunday October 20, Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin by His Eminence Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Primate of the Diocese of Iraq of the Armenian Church. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians presided. In attendance was His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, and his ecclesiastic delegation.
During the Divine Liturgy, the Heads of the two Churches gave their blessings and addressed messages to the faithful. ?The fraternal unity of the Christian Churches will help us bring our Christian witness to mankind, will make us unwavering in our hope and love, so that the knowledge of God will illuminate the meaning of life, and will assure, guarantee and lead its course. Glory to God, that in this Cathedral of the Holy Descent of the Only Begotten Son, we are praying together for the peace of the world, and the welfare of our people,? said His Holiness Karekin II.
In turn, His Holiness Zakka I, thanked God for having the chance once more to visit Armenia and the worldwide headquarters of the Armenian Church, and stated, ?We have come to renew our oath in this holy place, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and to receive her blessings, where according to the vision of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the Son of God descended and sanctified the soil of the Armenians. We witnessed the Armenian people?s love towards Our Lord Jesus Christ. For many centuries our two brotherly nations have offered their blood as sacrifice at the Altar of the Lord for the sake of maintaining their orthodox faith.?
Following Divine Liturgy, the Catholicos of All Armenians hosted the Patriarch and his delegation at a luncheon. In attendance were the bishops, monks, deacons and seminarians of the Mother See.
That same evening, Patriarch Zakka I and Catholicos Karekin II, along with the members of the Syrian ecclesiastic delegation and the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, prayed near the tomb of Armenian Pontiffs Vazken I and Karekin I, both of blessed memory. It was upon the invitation of Catholicos of All Armenians Vazken I that the Syrian Patriarch first visited the Mother See some twenty years ago, in 1982.
At the end of the day, the Catholicos of All Armenians, the Diocesan Primates of Armenia, and bishops and monks living in the Mother See, met with the Patriarch and members of his ecclesiastic delegation for a meeting between the two sister churches. The Armenian Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church are in full communion as members of the Ancient (Oriental) Orthodox family of churches.
