JOHN PAUL II: WE HOLD THE SAME FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, SEP 25, 2001 (VIS) - At 2:15 p.m. (local time) the Pope visited the Apostolic Cathedral of Etchmiadzin. It is traditional that visits of religious figures begin with a brief moment of prayer in the cathedral, which was built in 303, and has a capacity of 100 people.

John Paul II responded to the brief greeting of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, in the presence of the bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the papal entourage.

"Holy Etchmiadzin," the Holy Father said, "stands as the great symbol of Armenia's faith in the only-begotten Son of God who came down from heaven, who died to redeem us from sin, and whose resurrection inaugurates the new heavens and the new earth. For all Armenians, Etchmiadzin remains the pledge of perseverance in that faith, despite the suffering and bloodshed past and present, which your troubled history has made the price of your fidelity. In this place I wish to testify that your faith is our faith in Jesus Christ, true God and true man."

"As Bishop of Rome," he continued, "I kneel in admiration of the heavenly gift of your people's baptism, and I pay tribute to this temple, symbol of the nation, which, from the beginning, in accordance with Saint Gregory's vision, bears on its columns the sign of martyrdom."

The Pope thanked the Patriarch for welcoming him to his home. "This is the first time that the Bishop of Rome, for the extent of his visit to a country, is staying in the home and sharing the daily life of a Brother who presides over one of the glorious Churches of the East. Thank you for this sign of love, which moves me deeply and speaks of profound friendship and fraternal charity to the hearts of all Catholics."

After recalling the predecessors of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos Vazken I and Karekin I, John Paul II concluded asking the Lord to receive their common prayer, and to accept "the gratitude of the whole Church for the faith of the Armenian people."

Leaving the cathedral, the Pope prayed before the tombs of the deceased Catholicos and then travelled to the Apostolic Palace of Etchmiadzin, where at 6:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. Rome time) an official meeting with His Holiness Karekin II is planned.

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