ECUMENICAL CELEBRATION: TO WALK TOGETHER THAT WORLD MAY BELIEVE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father travelled at 6:00 p.m. local time from the Apostolic See of Etchmiadzin to the new Apostolic Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator, which was consecrated last Sunday by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.

The cathedral has a seating capacity of 1,700, representing the number of years which have passed since the proclamation of Christianity as the official religion of Armenia. The cathedral holds the relic of St. Gregory the Illuminator, given to Karekin II by John Paul II during an ecumenical celebration in St. Peter's Basilica in November of 2000.

Participating in today's ceremony were the President of the Republic, Robert Kotcharian, other civil and political authorities, and members of the diplomatic corps.

The ecumenical celebration included the reading of the Word of God, homilies by the Pope and the Patriarch, the profession of faith, the universal prayer, an exchange of the kiss of peace, and veneration of the relic of St. Gregory.

"My visit today," said the Pope, "testifies to our shared yearning to dwell in the full unity which the Lord wills for his disciples. ... I pray that my visit will be a kind of consecration of the already rich and fruitful cooperation existing between us."

John Paul II affirmed that "there is a real and intimate unity between the Catholic Church and the Church of Armenia since both preserve apostolic succession and have valid sacraments, particularly Baptism and the Eucharist. Our awareness of this must inspire us to work even harder to strengthen our ecumenical dialogue."

"My ardent prayer is for a renewal of the 'exchange of gifts' of which the Church of the first millennium gave such wonderful examples. May the memory of the time when the Church 'breathed with both lungs' spur Christians of East and West to walk together in unity of faith and with respect for legitimate diversity, accepting and sustaining each other as members of the one Body of Christ."

Referring to the "spiritual emptiness of communism and materialism" experienced by the society, the Holy Father emphasized the need to "proclaim the good news of salvation to the men and women of our time."

"We have a great responsibility towards them," he continued, "and they expect from us a convincing witness of unity of faith and mutual love. As we work for full communion, let us do together what we do not have to do separately. Let us work together, with full respect for our distinctive identities and traditions. Never again Christians against Christians, never again Church against Church! Rather, let us walk together, hand in hand, so that the world of the twenty-first century and the new millennium may believe!"

After the ecumenical celebration, the Pope travelled to the Apostolic See of Etchmiadzin where he spent the night.

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JOINT DECLARATION OF POPE AND PATRIARCH KAREKIN II

VATICAN CITY, SEP 27, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul II and His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, signed a joint declaration this morning in Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia, in which they recall how "the Armenian people in A.D. 301 were bathed in the divine light and earnestly turned to Christ as the Truth, the Life, and the Way to salvation."

"Endowed with great faith, (the Armenians of old) chose to bear witness to the Truth and accept death when necessary, in order to share eternal life. Martyrdom for the love of Christ thus became a great legacy of many generations of Armenians."

"The extermination of a million and a half Armenian Christians," the declaration continues "in what is generally referred to as the first genocide of the twentieth century, and the subsequent annihilation of thousands under the former totalitarian regime are tragedies that still live in the memory of the present-day generation. These innocents who were butchered in vain are not canonized, but many among them were certainly confessors and martyrs for the name of Christ. We pray for the repose of their souls, and urge the faithful never to lose sight of the meaning of their sacrifice. We thank God for the fact that Christianity in Armenia has survived the adversities of the past seventeen centuries, and that the Armenian Church is now free to carry out her mission of proclaiming the Good News in the modern Republic of Armenia and in many areas near and far where Armenian communities are present.

"Armenia is again a free country, as in the early days of King Tiridates and Saint Gregory the Illuminator. Over the past ten years, the right of citizens in the burgeoning Republic to worship and practice their religion in freedom has been recognized. In Armenia and in the diaspora, new Armenian institutions have been established, churches have been built, associations and schools have been founded."

"The example of Christian Armenia testifies that faith in Christ brings hope to every human situation, no matter how difficult."

"Here at Holy Etchmiadzin we renew our solemn commitment to pray and work to hasten the day of communion among all members of Christ's faithful flock, with true regard for our respective sacred traditions."

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POPE ASKS FORGIVENESS FOR PAST FAILINGS AGAINST UNITY

VATICAN CITY, SEP 27, 2001 (VIS) - John Paul II celebrated Mass this morning at the Great Altar in the garden of the Apostolic See of Etchmiadzin. Catholic bishops and priests from Armenia and other countries concelebrated. Catholicos Karekin II participated from a seat prepared for him for the occasion.

The Mass of St. Gregory the Illuminator was celebrated in the Latin rite. At the opening, His Holiness Karekin II directed a brief greeting to the Pope and those present.

In his homily, the Holy Father recalled the years when "the voice of the priest fell silent in your churches, but still the voice of the people's faith was heard, full of devotion and filial affection for the Successor of the Apostle Peter. When evil-hearted men fired upon the Cross on the bell-tower of Panik, they sought to offend the God in whom they did not believe." In those years, he noted, "you adorned your places of worship as best you could; and beside the images of Jesus and His Mother Mary, there often stood the picture of the Pope of Rome alongside the picture of the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church. ... That is why your recent history has not been marked by the sad opposition between the Churches which has so troubled Christians in other lands not far from here."

The Pope thanked His Holiness Karekin II for inviting him to celebrate the Eucharist with the Catholic community at Holy Etchmiadzin, and asked, "Does it not express the yearning of so many of our brothers and sisters who wish to see us advance quickly on the path of unity? My own heart is eager to hasten the day when we shall celebrate together the Divine Sacrifice which makes us all one. At this altar which is your altar, I beg the Lord to forgive us our past failings against unity and to lead us to the love that overcomes all barriers."

"In the Catholic Church," he continued, "the hymn of praise rises to God from many peoples, in many tongues. But this blending of different voices in a single melody in no way destroys your identity as Armenians. ... We must rival one another - not in creating division or in accusing each other - but in showing mutual charity. The only rivalry possible among the Lord's disciples is to see who can offer the greater love!"

John Paul II expressed regret that he was unable to visit the places where the majority of the Catholic faithful live, and concluded affirming: "The Bishop of Rome came to honor the faith of the Armenian people, among whom you are especially dear to him. He has come to celebrate your faithfulness and courage, and to praise God who has granted you to see the day of freedom. Here at this splendid altar, let us remember those who struggled to see this day and did not see it, but who contemplate it now in the eternal glory of God's Kingdom."

After the Mass, the Holy Father travelled to the Armenian Catholic Center of Kanaker, the residence of the ordinary for the Armenian Catholicos of Eastern Europe, Archbishop Nerses Der Nersessian, C.M.A., where he participated in an official lunch with Catholicos Karekin II and the bishops and priests working in Armenia.

Following this, John Paul II went to the Apostolic Cathedral of Etchmiadzin where, according to tradition, religious figures make a visit before leaving the country. From the cathedral he travelled to the monastery of Khor Virab, which means "deep well" (it is 40 meters deep). At this site, due to his Christian faith, St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for thirteen years, until the healing of King Tiridates III through the saint's intercession. After a brief ceremony, the Pope travelled to the international airport of Zvartnotz for a farewell ceremony with the political, religious, and civil authorities. His return to Rome's Ciampino Airport is scheduled for 8:45 p.m.

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