“We pray in particular for peace in Armenia, just as we ask for peace for Ukraine and for the whole world. We are all called to renew our daily commitment to be instruments of peace ». Thus Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, during the mass celebrated on Tuesday afternoon, October 25, in the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Armenia.
The cardinal entrusted the prayer for peace to the intercession of Regina Pacis, venerated in the Liberian basilica as Salus Populi Romani and recalled that a pilgrimage to the Caucasus with the image of Our Lady of Fátima is currently taking place. It is, he pointed out, an unprecedented journey that supports the hope of fostering winds of peace in the region. In addition to Georgia and Armenia, he explained, the statue will also visit Azerbaijan, traveling throughout the Caucasus, stopping in Catholic parishes and communities, with the specific intention of promoting “reconciliation and peace” in the heart of these. great nations.
Relations with others, the Secretary of State added, even those that are difficult and painful, “must be cultivated in such a way as to foster peace and, consequently, forgiveness based on God’s wisdom”. Referring to the words of Pope Francis during the ecumenical vigil of prayer for peace in Yerevan on the occasion of his trip to Armenia in 2016, Cardinal Parolin recalled the figure of a “great witness and builder of the peace of Christ”, St. Gregory of Narek, proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 2015. Armenia, with its identity, said the celebrant cardinal, “is founded on a solid foundation of stone, on the khatchkar“. This is a stone cross, defined as a real “icon” of Armenian spirituality. St. John Paul ii he referred to the Caucasian country as the “people of the cross”, because it is in it that the people identified themselves. This great country “has always distinguished itself as the first nation to embrace the Christian faith”. Over the centuries, in fact, faith “has sustained this great people, especially in the difficult moments of its history”.
Cardinal Parolin recalled the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Holy See, assuring appreciation for “the positive bilateral relations”, characterized “by cordiality and respect”, which “find their eloquent expression both in the exchange of high-profile visits. level than in various other initiatives “. As he had already pointed out on many occasions, “friendly relations have a long history and precede their formalization in May 1992”. The secretary of state also recalled that last year the apostolic nunciature in Yerevan was inaugurated, “an important sign of how the Holy See and Armenia are continuously developing their relations in a friendly and serious way in various fields”. Furthermore, he pointed out that another significant aspect of relations is “linked to the respectful dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church”. This, added the cardinal, was a very important aspect of the meetings between Pope Francis and His Holiness Karekin. ii Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of the Armenians.
The special bond between the Holy See and the Armenian people is «also testified by the Ecclesiastical CommunioWhich the Pontiff gave to His Beatitude Raphaël Bedros xxi Minassian, after his election last year as Patriarch of Cilicia for the Armenians.
The cardinal concluded by invoking peace on Armenia, so that the Lord, through the intercession of St. Gregory of Narek, may make the country “a house founded on the rock of divine Wisdom”.
The celebration was attended, among others, by the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church to the Holy See, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.
Peace for the whole Caucasus, Ukraine and the whole world – L’Osservatore Romano