JOHN PAUL TO GO TO ARMENIA FRIDAY TO VISIT AILING KAREKIN I

VATICAN CITY, JUN 14, 1999 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration today from Lowicz, Poland, where he is travelling with the Holy Father and where the Pope this morning celebrated Mass:

"At the end of his trip to Poland, the Holy Father, on Friday June 18, will travel to Armenia to pay a personal visit to the Catholicos of all the Armenians, His Holiness Karekin I. The Holy Father, during his brief visit, will also meet the president of the Republic of Armenia.

Answering journalists' questions, Navarro-Valls said: "By this visit, which also represents an ecumenical pilgrimage, John Paul II hopes to express to Karekin I his spiritual closeness in this moment of suffering."

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