Armenia "claims to be the first officially
Christian nation in the world. Here, in the hills surrounding Mount
Ararat, stopped the ark of Noah after the flood.
The visit of Cardinal
Ravasi filled us with joy and inspires us to improve cooperation between
the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Pontifical Council for Culture ".
Fr Theodore Mascarenhas, who accompanied the cardinal on an official
visit to Yerevan, the capital of Republic of Armenia told AsiaNews.
During the trip, Cardinal Ravasi met with the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and the bishops Hovakim and Nerses.
During the trip, Cardinal Ravasi met with the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and the bishops Hovakim and Nerses.
With the
religious authorities "the meetings we had were very cordial, friendly
but frank, focusing on the preservation of the cultural heritage of the
Armenians and the possibility of cooperation in this field between the
local church and council led by the Cardinal. But we also spoke about
the restrictions on religious freedom suffered by Armenian Christians. "
The local population of the Christian faith "like other minorities in certain regions and neighbouring countries in fact suffer government repression. There are technical problems, such as places of worship which are the property of Catholics and Armenian Christians but, sadly, are not granted to religion. Card. Ravasi has promised to bring this issue to the attention of several forums and that of the Holy See. "
Particularly moving was the visit to the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, the "mother" of all Armenian churches and the seat of the Catholic Patriarch. The Vatican delegation prayed inside the beautiful building with Bishop Hovakim and hundreds of faithful gathered for the blessing.
The “political” side of the visit was also encouraging. The Armenian Minister of Culture, Hasmik Poghosyan, spoke to Card. Ravasi of a possible future cultural cooperation: the intention is to bring an exhibit on Armenian art from San Lazzaro in Venice, where it will be launched to other European capitals and the Vatican. The exhibition will be dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, received the delegation in order to emphasize the importance of faith and Christian values at "the heart of bilateral relations" with the Vatican. Great interest was expressed in the "Court of the Gentiles", the event organized by Ravasi to promote encounter between believers and atheists. The prime minister suggested it be brought to Yerevan especially "for the many local young people who do not believe in God. Dialogue with the faith is important”.
The local population of the Christian faith "like other minorities in certain regions and neighbouring countries in fact suffer government repression. There are technical problems, such as places of worship which are the property of Catholics and Armenian Christians but, sadly, are not granted to religion. Card. Ravasi has promised to bring this issue to the attention of several forums and that of the Holy See. "
Particularly moving was the visit to the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, the "mother" of all Armenian churches and the seat of the Catholic Patriarch. The Vatican delegation prayed inside the beautiful building with Bishop Hovakim and hundreds of faithful gathered for the blessing.
The “political” side of the visit was also encouraging. The Armenian Minister of Culture, Hasmik Poghosyan, spoke to Card. Ravasi of a possible future cultural cooperation: the intention is to bring an exhibit on Armenian art from San Lazzaro in Venice, where it will be launched to other European capitals and the Vatican. The exhibition will be dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, received the delegation in order to emphasize the importance of faith and Christian values at "the heart of bilateral relations" with the Vatican. Great interest was expressed in the "Court of the Gentiles", the event organized by Ravasi to promote encounter between believers and atheists. The prime minister suggested it be brought to Yerevan especially "for the many local young people who do not believe in God. Dialogue with the faith is important”.