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PATRIARCH KIRILL: "I FELT AT HOME IN ARMENIA"
Milena Faustova
The Voice of Russia
March 19 2010
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Catholicos of All
Armenians Garegin II. Photo: RIA Novosti A joint communiqué between
the Russian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church has been
signed by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Catholicos
of All Armenians Garegin II.
Patriarch Kirill, who was enthroned last February, came to Armenia in
line with the long-standing tradition committing any newly-elected
Orthodox hierarch to pay his personal respects to the heads of
autocephalous Orthodox churches around the world.
The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the oldest branches of
Orthodoxy. Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 A.D., becoming the first
country to proclaim it as its state religion. Despite canonical and
ritualistic differences, the Russian and Armenian Orthodox churches
have much in common. The joint declaration signed this week reflects
their shared spiritual past and determines their future relations. A
spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate, Father Philipp Ryabykh, hailed
the significance of the document:
The declaration stipulates the joint protection of Christian values
in the modern world at a national, regional and international level.
Also, it pledges cooperation in the social sphere and in dealing with
pseudo-religious organizations. Special attention is given to the
exchange of experience in providing spiritual guidance for servicemen,
youths and convicts. Both sides confirmed their intention to open
church representations in Russia and Armenia.
During his visit, Patriarch Kirill spoke much about the peacekeeping
mission of the Orthodox Church in the Caucasus. Paying tribute to
victims of Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire at a memorial in
Yerevan, he urged Armenians to overcome the past without forgetting it
and think more about the present and future. In his speech at Yerevan
State University, the Patriarch, on behalf of the Russian church,
vowed to continue peacemaking efforts towards promoting a solution to
Armenia's long-standing dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
He called for closer spiritual and cultural ties between nations:
"The values that cement the basis of our national and spiritual life
are, in the first place, moral values. This is a system of coordinates
that gives man orientation in life. In Armenia, I saw that our nations
profess shared values rooted in our common religion. I am convinced
that the shared aspects of our nations' historical being form a single
whole. And the rest, including politics, is secondary and should by
no means destroy these shared values".
The Patriarch said that during his visit he had felt at home and not
as a guest. He promised to step up efforts to bolster friendship
between Russians and Armenians. On the last day of his trip, His
Holiness consecrated the symbolic first stone for a new Orthodox
church in Yerevan.
Milena Faustova
The Voice of Russia
March 19 2010
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Catholicos of All
Armenians Garegin II. Photo: RIA Novosti A joint communiqué between
the Russian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church has been
signed by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Catholicos
of All Armenians Garegin II.
Patriarch Kirill, who was enthroned last February, came to Armenia in
line with the long-standing tradition committing any newly-elected
Orthodox hierarch to pay his personal respects to the heads of
autocephalous Orthodox churches around the world.
The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the oldest branches of
Orthodoxy. Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 A.D., becoming the first
country to proclaim it as its state religion. Despite canonical and
ritualistic differences, the Russian and Armenian Orthodox churches
have much in common. The joint declaration signed this week reflects
their shared spiritual past and determines their future relations. A
spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate, Father Philipp Ryabykh, hailed
the significance of the document:
The declaration stipulates the joint protection of Christian values
in the modern world at a national, regional and international level.
Also, it pledges cooperation in the social sphere and in dealing with
pseudo-religious organizations. Special attention is given to the
exchange of experience in providing spiritual guidance for servicemen,
youths and convicts. Both sides confirmed their intention to open
church representations in Russia and Armenia.
During his visit, Patriarch Kirill spoke much about the peacekeeping
mission of the Orthodox Church in the Caucasus. Paying tribute to
victims of Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire at a memorial in
Yerevan, he urged Armenians to overcome the past without forgetting it
and think more about the present and future. In his speech at Yerevan
State University, the Patriarch, on behalf of the Russian church,
vowed to continue peacemaking efforts towards promoting a solution to
Armenia's long-standing dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
He called for closer spiritual and cultural ties between nations:
"The values that cement the basis of our national and spiritual life
are, in the first place, moral values. This is a system of coordinates
that gives man orientation in life. In Armenia, I saw that our nations
profess shared values rooted in our common religion. I am convinced
that the shared aspects of our nations' historical being form a single
whole. And the rest, including politics, is secondary and should by
no means destroy these shared values".
The Patriarch said that during his visit he had felt at home and not
as a guest. He promised to step up efforts to bolster friendship
between Russians and Armenians. On the last day of his trip, His
Holiness consecrated the symbolic first stone for a new Orthodox
church in Yerevan.