TELEGRAM FOR YESTERDAY'S TRAGEDY IN SWISS CANTON

VATICAN CITY, SEP 28, 2001 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a condolence telegram in the Holy Father's name to Bishop Kurt Koch of Basel, Switzerland, in response to the tragedy that took place yesterday during a cantonal parliamentary session in Zug, in which 15 people died.

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JOHN PAUL II BIDS FAREWELL TO ARMENIAN PEOPLE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 27, 2001 (VIS) - John Paul II bid farewell this evening at Zvartnotz International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia, to the President of the Republic, Robert Kotcharian, civil and political authorities, and His Holiness Karekin II, Patriarch of all Armenians.

After some brief words by the Armenian president and Catholicos Karekin II, the Pope thanked the Armenian people for their "yearning for Christian unity. Thank you most of all," he said, "for the witness of your faith."

"The terrible events at the beginning of the last century, which brought your people 'to the brink of annihilation', the long years of totalitarian oppression, the devastation of a disastrous earthquake: none of these," he affirmed, "has been able to prevent the Armenian soul from regaining courage and recovering its great dignity.

"It is true," he continued, "these are difficult years, and your heart is sometimes weary and unsure. ... But, dear Armenian friends, hold on to hope! Remember that you have put your trust in Christ and said yes to Him forever. Supported by your Armenian brothers and sisters throughout the world you are committed to the task of rebuilding in freedom your country and your society."

The Holy Father concluded asking God that "the leaders of Armenia and of the other peoples of the region will have the wisdom and perseverance to move forward courageously on the path of peace, for without peace there can be no genuine development and prosperity."

The papal plane departed at 8:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. Rome time), and landed at Rome's Ciampino Airport at 9:15 p.m. John Paul II then travelled by automobile to his summer residence at Castelgandolfo, and will return to the Vatican on Saturday evening.

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NEW MARTYROLOGY TO BE PRESENTED TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2

VATICAN CITY, SEP 28, 2001 (VIS) - A press conference will be held on Tuesday, October 2, at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office, for the presentation of the new Martyrology by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments.

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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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