Exhibition dedicated to Gregory the Illuminator was opened

On September 19 a reception on the occasion of the Independence day of Armenia and the opening of the Embassy of the RA to the Holy See and the opening of the exhibition entitled “Gregory the Illuminator: the common heritage of Christianity” took place in Palazzo della Cancelleria hall of Rome.

The reception given in the name of the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Holy See was attended by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States in the Roman Curia, priests of Armenian Apostolic Church, representatives of Armenian Catholic Church, high level churchmen of Vatican, Members of Italian and Armenian Parliaments, Ambassadors accredited to Vatican, heads of European and Italian NGO’s, businessmen, representatives of Armenian community of Italy.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian delivered a greeting address during the reception: “It is a symbolic day today. Armenia which is the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion opens a diplomatic representation in the Holy See.

For many years being non-resident Ambassador to Vatican on the basis of concurrency I always thought about the day when our states would open representations and appoint resident Ambassadors in Yerevan and Vatican.

Congratulating all of us on this occasion I wish success to Ambassador Mikayel Minasyan in implementing his mission and developing relations between Armenia and the Holy See.

Our relations have deep historical roots. Christian faith has become the basis for those special ties.

Many renowned and great people like Saint Nerses Shnorhali, Mkhitar Sebastatsi and others have their important contribution in the improvement of our relations.
It is symbolic that the opening of the Embassy coincides with the Independence Day of Armenia. With the restoration of the Independence the cooperation between our country and the Holy See has experienced a new impetus.

This year in March the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II attended the ceremonial mass on the occasion of the inauguration of Pope Francis I. Nearly one year before it in December 2011 President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Holy See and met the Pope Benedict XVI.

We have unforgettable memories from the historic visit of the Pope John Paul II to our country in 2001 on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity as a state religion in Armenia. It was a sign of friendly relations between Vatican and Armenia and the ties of brotherhood between our churches.

We recall with excitement the visit of the Pope John Paul II to the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan and the performance of “Ave Maria” by the most famous Armenian in the world - Charles Aznavour. I am happy that our dear Maestro is present with us also during this event.”

Minister Nalbandian stressed the importance of the opening of exhibition dedicated to Gregory the Illuminator in the Palace of Secretariat of the Holy See. He stated that the statue of Gregory the Illuminator was unveiled in front of the wall of Saint Peter’s Basilica by the Pope John Paul II in 2005 and the square adjacent to the statue was named after Gregory the Illuminator in 2008.

“The opening of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia is a proof of the high level of close friendly relations between Armenia and the Holy See, also reflecting our wish to develop and deepen our ties”- stressed the Minister.

On the occasion of the opening of the Embassy of Armenia to Vatican Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia, delivered a speech in the name of the Holy See.

On the same day Edward Nalbandian visited the Embassy of Armenia to the Holy See, observing the working conditions of the Embassy and meting its stuff.