The Catholicos of All Armenians Had a Farewell Meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See
12.10.2023
On October 11, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; had a farewell meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See, Archbishop José Avelino Bettencourt, who is completing his mission in Transcaucasia.
His Holiness, welcoming the Apostolic Nuncio, expressed his high appreciation for the latter's efforts aimed at closer relations between the two Sees and wished for new achievements in the future holy mission.
At the meeting, the Catholicos of All Armenians confirmed with satisfaction that warm and fraternal relations have been formed between the Mother See and the Vatican, the vivid proofs of which are the visits of the Popes of Rome, John-Paul II and Pope Francis to Armenia and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, as well as the reciprocal visits of the Armenian Patriarch to the Vatican, also the event organized in the Holy See on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the declaration of St. Gregory of Narek as Doctor of the Universal Church.
In his remarks, the Armenian Patriarch referred to the challenges in the region, the rights protection and humanitarian problems of forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians. In this regard, His Holiness expressed his gratitude to the Catholic Church for its efforts.
In his turn, Archbishop José Avelino Bettencourt deeply thanked the Catholicos of All Armenians for his warm welcome, noting that in the future he will continue to contribute to the strengthening of the fraternal relations between the two Churches.
During the conversation, the issues of preservation of Artsakh's spiritual and cultural heritage and the return of Armenian captives kept in Azerbaijan to this day were also touched upon.
