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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