Visit of the Catholicos of All Armenians to the Vatican
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, attended several meetings during his fraternal visit to the Vatican. Catholicos of All Armenians met privately with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. His Holiness also had meetings with Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Secretary of the State of Vatican; Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The Catholicos of All Armenians and his delegation also visited the St. Peter Cathedral and the tombs of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, who were recently canonized by the Catholic Church. A prayer was offered in front of the monument of St. Gregory the Illuminator.
