Armenian Orthodox Patriarch On Pope Francis

ARMENIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH ON POPE FRANCIS

First Things
March 14 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013, 12:20 PM
Mark Movsesian

One of the most hopeful aspects of the ecumenical movement of the
past decades has been the growing warmth among Western and Eastern
Christians. Here is part of the letter that the Armenian Orthodox
Patriarch, or Catholicos, Karekin II, sent Pope Francis on his
election:

Dear Brother in Christ,

On the joyous occasion of Your election as successor to the Holy
See of St. Peter, we convey to Your Holiness greetings of fraternal
love and congratulations. We pray that the Lord will grant to your
Holiness a most fruitful pontificate blessed with many ever-lasting
accomplishments for the glory of God and the splendor of the Church
of Christ.

We fondly remember our meetings and prayers together with Your Holiness
in Argentina, during which we came to know you as a good shepherd, and
a courageous, wise, and just Church Leader. We are happy to avow Your
sincere love and affection shown towards the Armenian people. . . .

It is our prayer that our cooperative efforts will continue to
grow into the future and that the relations between our two sister
Churches will blossom with new achievements for the sake of meeting
the challenges facing humanity, and in promoting and fortifying the
dialogue and solidarity between nations and religions.

You can read the full letter
here.

From: Baghdasarian