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POPE FRANCIS' ADDRESS TO PATRIARCH KAREKIN II
Zenit, Italy
May 8 2014
"The ecumenism of suffering and of the martyrdom of blood are a
powerful summons to walk the long path of reconciliation between the
Churches, by courageously and decisively abandoning ourselves to the
working of the Holy Spirit."
Vatican City, May 09, 2014 (Zenit.org) | 320 hits
Pope Francis received in private audience on May 8 His Holiness Karekin
II, supreme patriarch and catholicos of all Armenians. Here below we
publish the full text of the Holy Father's discourse.
Your Holiness,
Dear Brothers in Christ,
I gladly offer a most heartfelt welcome to you and to the distinguished
delegation accompanying you. Through Your Holiness, I also extend
respectful and affectionate greetings to the members of the Catholicate
family and to all Armenians around the world. It is a particular
grace to greet you here so close to the tomb of the Apostle Peter
and to share this moment of fraternity and prayer.
With you, I praise the Lord, because in recent years relations
between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Church of Rome have been
strengthened, thanks to the events which are so dear to our memory.
Here I recall the visit of my sainted predecessor to Armenia in 2001,
and the welcome presence of Your Holiness in the Vatican for the
official visit to Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and for the inauguration
of my ministry as Bishop of Rome last year.
Here I wish to recall another occasion full of meaning in which Your
Holiness participated: the commemoration of the witnesses to the faith
of the twentieth century, which took place in the context of the Great
Jubilee of the Year 2000. In truth, the number of disciples who shed
their blood for Christ during the tragic events of the last century
is certainly greater than that of the martyrs of the first centuries,
and in this martyrology the children of the Armenian nation have a
place of honour. The mystery of the Cross, precious to the memory of
your people and depicted in the splendid stone crosses which adorn
every corner of your land, has been lived as a direct participation in
the chalice of the Passion by so many of your people. Their witness,
at once tragic and great, must not be forgotten.
Your Holiness, dear Brothers, the sufferings endured by Christians in
these last decades have made a unique and invaluable contribution to
the unity of Christ's disciples. As in the ancient Church, the blood
of the martyrs became the seed of new Christians. So too in our time
the blood of innumerable Christians has become a seed of unity. The
ecumenism of suffering and of the martyrdom of blood are a powerful
summons to walk the long path of reconciliation between the Churches,
by courageously and decisively abandoning ourselves to the working
of the Holy Spirit. We feel the duty to follow this fraternal path
also out of the debt of gratitude we owe to the suffering so many of
our brothers and sisters, which is salvific because it is united to
the Passion of Christ.
In this regard, I wish to thank Your Holiness for the effective support
given to ecumenical dialogue, and in particular to the work of the
joint commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church
and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and for the skillful theological
contributions offered by representatives of the Catholicate of All
Armenians.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all
our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in
any way afflicted with the consolation with which we ourselves are
consoled by God" (2 Cor 1: 3-4). Full of trust, may we walk the path
that lies ahead of us, sustained by so great a cloud of witnesses
(cf. Heb 12:1), and implore the Father for the unity which Christ
himself prayed for at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 17:21).
Let us pray for each other: may the Holy Spirit enlighten us and
lead us to that day, so greatly desired, in which we can share the
Eucharistic table. We praise God in the words of Saint Gregory of
Narek, "Accept the song of blessing from our lips and deign to grant
to this Church the gifts and graces of Zion and of Bethlehem, so that
we can be made worthy to participate in salvation". May the all-holy
Mother of God intercede for the Armenian people now and always.
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-address-to-patriarch-karekin-ii?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campa ign=Feed%3A+zenit%2Fenglish+%28ZENIT+English%29
From: A. Papazian
Zenit, Italy
May 8 2014
"The ecumenism of suffering and of the martyrdom of blood are a
powerful summons to walk the long path of reconciliation between the
Churches, by courageously and decisively abandoning ourselves to the
working of the Holy Spirit."
Vatican City, May 09, 2014 (Zenit.org) | 320 hits
Pope Francis received in private audience on May 8 His Holiness Karekin
II, supreme patriarch and catholicos of all Armenians. Here below we
publish the full text of the Holy Father's discourse.
Your Holiness,
Dear Brothers in Christ,
I gladly offer a most heartfelt welcome to you and to the distinguished
delegation accompanying you. Through Your Holiness, I also extend
respectful and affectionate greetings to the members of the Catholicate
family and to all Armenians around the world. It is a particular
grace to greet you here so close to the tomb of the Apostle Peter
and to share this moment of fraternity and prayer.
With you, I praise the Lord, because in recent years relations
between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Church of Rome have been
strengthened, thanks to the events which are so dear to our memory.
Here I recall the visit of my sainted predecessor to Armenia in 2001,
and the welcome presence of Your Holiness in the Vatican for the
official visit to Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and for the inauguration
of my ministry as Bishop of Rome last year.
Here I wish to recall another occasion full of meaning in which Your
Holiness participated: the commemoration of the witnesses to the faith
of the twentieth century, which took place in the context of the Great
Jubilee of the Year 2000. In truth, the number of disciples who shed
their blood for Christ during the tragic events of the last century
is certainly greater than that of the martyrs of the first centuries,
and in this martyrology the children of the Armenian nation have a
place of honour. The mystery of the Cross, precious to the memory of
your people and depicted in the splendid stone crosses which adorn
every corner of your land, has been lived as a direct participation in
the chalice of the Passion by so many of your people. Their witness,
at once tragic and great, must not be forgotten.
Your Holiness, dear Brothers, the sufferings endured by Christians in
these last decades have made a unique and invaluable contribution to
the unity of Christ's disciples. As in the ancient Church, the blood
of the martyrs became the seed of new Christians. So too in our time
the blood of innumerable Christians has become a seed of unity. The
ecumenism of suffering and of the martyrdom of blood are a powerful
summons to walk the long path of reconciliation between the Churches,
by courageously and decisively abandoning ourselves to the working
of the Holy Spirit. We feel the duty to follow this fraternal path
also out of the debt of gratitude we owe to the suffering so many of
our brothers and sisters, which is salvific because it is united to
the Passion of Christ.
In this regard, I wish to thank Your Holiness for the effective support
given to ecumenical dialogue, and in particular to the work of the
joint commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church
and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and for the skillful theological
contributions offered by representatives of the Catholicate of All
Armenians.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all
our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in
any way afflicted with the consolation with which we ourselves are
consoled by God" (2 Cor 1: 3-4). Full of trust, may we walk the path
that lies ahead of us, sustained by so great a cloud of witnesses
(cf. Heb 12:1), and implore the Father for the unity which Christ
himself prayed for at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 17:21).
Let us pray for each other: may the Holy Spirit enlighten us and
lead us to that day, so greatly desired, in which we can share the
Eucharistic table. We praise God in the words of Saint Gregory of
Narek, "Accept the song of blessing from our lips and deign to grant
to this Church the gifts and graces of Zion and of Bethlehem, so that
we can be made worthy to participate in salvation". May the all-holy
Mother of God intercede for the Armenian people now and always.
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-address-to-patriarch-karekin-ii?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campa ign=Feed%3A+zenit%2Fenglish+%28ZENIT+English%29
From: A. Papazian