Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On May 12-14 His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, led a delegation of 80 pilgrims on a Pontifical visit to the Holy Land. 

The first stop of the Pontifical Pilgrimage was Jerusalem. On May 12, a procession with the pilgrims and Armenians of Jerusalem traveled to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Led by the Supreme Patriarch and under the singing of "Hrashapar" they entered the St. James Mother Cathedral. At the end of the ceremony a reception was held in the Patriarchal headquarters, during which His Beatitude Archbishop Torgom Manoukian Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem delivered his welcoming message after which the Catholicos of All Armenians expressed his appreciation. 

Following the reception the pilgrims toured the St. James Mother Cathedral with her nine chapels and the churches and chapels that comprise the monastic complex, including the museum and manuscript house of the Patriarchate. From the St. James Cathedral the pilgrims visited the monasteries of the Holy Archangels and Holy Savior and later the shrines of Mt. Sion and the churches built in the places of the upper house where the St. Mary the Holy Mother of God Rests. 

The next morning began with a visit to the shrines of Mount of Ascension. The pilgrims first went to the "Our Father" Church constructed in the 19th century. According to the tradition in this very place Jesus taught the prayer "Our Father". In the churchyard the Lord's Prayer is written in numerous languages of the world. The third one written is the prayer in Armenian following those in Latin and Arabic. Here, under the guidance of the Supreme Patriarch, the pilgrims sang the Lord's Prayer. 

Next the pilgrims visited the shrines of Holy Ascension: from this place Jesus blessed His disciples and ascended to heaven. They descended from the Mount of Ascension to the gorge of Gethsemane, where the St. Mary Holy Mother of God Armenian Church is situated. It was on this site that he Holy Virgin was transfigured to Heaven after her death. The parents of St. Mary also rest here and the Armenian pilgrims also paid their tribute to their tombs. 

The garden of Gethsemane is situated next to the Church of Transfiguration. In this Garden Jesus prayed before His passions. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem built the reception hall of St. Mary Holy Mother of God church next to the ages-old olive trees. The opening ceremony of the hall took place with a blessing by His Holiness. The pilgrims also visited the Church of All Nations, which symbolizes the unity of all churches through Jesus Christ. 

In the afternoon, the group of pilgrims led by the Catholicos of All Armenians visited Yad Vashem's new Holocaust History Museum where they were met and accompanied by Mr. Avner Shalev, director of the museum. Two wreaths were placed at the memorial to the Holocaust by the pilgrims, in the name of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the Republic of Armenia. 

Later in the day a reception was held in the honor of the Supreme Patriarch by the Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger of Ashkenazi of Israel and Rabbi David Rosen. Present at the reception were His Beautitude Archbishop Torgom Manoukian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem and deputies of Israeli Parliament (Knesset). 

The next site for the pilgrims was the Christmas Cathedral of Bethlehem. Upon entering the city of Bethlehem the group headed by His Holiness was received by a military procession and was led to the Christmas Cathedral at the entrance of which Very Rev. Fr. Razmik Poghossian, greeted the Armenian Pontiff. 

In attendance to this honorary reception, were Dr. Emil Jarjoughi, representative of Mahmud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Autonomy, Shati Abbu Ramzii, Head of the state Office of Bethlehem and other high ranking representatives of the Palestinian Autonomy. 

In the Christmas Cathedral, the pilgrims kneeled before the cave of the Lord's birth and the manger where Jesus was laid after His birth. After reviewing this multilayered Cathedral dating back to the forth century the pilgrims were hosted in the reception hall of the Armenian Section of the Cathedral. 

Following the pilgrims went to the Dead See and on their return they saw the Mount of Temptation where the Satan tempted Jesus. They also visited Jericho. 

In the evening a reception was organized in the Jarangavorats College. Here, Very Rev. Fr. Paret, dean of the college greeted His Holiness and the group of the pilgrims. The entertainment for the evening was provided by the students of Jarangavorats College. During the entertainment seven members of the Armenian Community of Jerusalem were granted passports to the Republic of Armenia. 

Mr. Serj Sarkissian, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Fadey Sarkissian, President of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, academician Sergey Hambardzoumian, poet Aramayis Sahakian, Mr. Ara Abrahamian, President of the Union of Armenians in Russia, Mr. Radik Martirossian, rector of Yerevan State University delivered speeches. The evening was closed with a message of blessing of His Beatutidue Arhbishop Torgom Manoukian and the Catholicos of All Armenians. 

The final day of the pilgrimage started with a Pontifical Divine Liturgy during which His Holiness in his remarks highly praised the spiritual service of the brotherhood of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem to the Lord?s shrines of the Holy Land and the preservation of the Armenian sections of these shrines. 

Following the Pontifical Divine Liturgy, the pilgrims toured the city to get acquainted with historical Jerusalem. From the St. James Mother Cathedral the procession led by the Supreme Patriarch went to the Holy Resurrection Cathedral. Here the pilgrims knelt before the place where the body of Jesus was wrapped with linen and where Joseph of Arimathea anointed the body of Jesus, after it had been taken off the cross. In memory of this anointing, the site is continuously sprinkled with rose oil. This same rite was also conducted by the Armenian pilgrims. From there, they went to the Lord's tomb where, following the ceremony held under the presidency of the Supreme Patriarch, they knelt and kissed the empty tomb. The pilgrims also visited the Passion Site under the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, the Chapel-Altars of Sacred Garden, Patriarch Lukianus, Distribution of Raiments (garments), Discovery of the Cross, Illuminator, Crown of Thorns, Josef of Arimathaea, and of Holy Mother of God's fainting as well as Holy Golgotha; they lived moments of pride for the significant Armenian presence in these Christian Shrines. 

The three-day pilgrimage ended with farewell dinner organized in the Jarangavorats College, during which writer Karpis Soureniants, Mr. Sen Arevshatian, Director of the Matenadaran, Mr. Villen Hakobian, rector of Medical University of Armenia delivered messages. 

In closing the pilgrimage, His Beatitude Archbishop Torgom Manoukian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem addressed his farewell speech to the pilgrims. 

The pilgrims returned to Armenia on May 15.