Pope's call for prayers for his visit to Armenia

The Pope, during the meeting of the Reunion of Aid Agencies For the Eastern Churches, said, “I ask you to pray for me, who in a few days will go as a pilgrim to an eastern land, Armenia, the first among the Nations to receive the Gospel of Jesus."

According to Azatutyun.am, the Armenian Apostolic Church invited its followers to the main cathedral in Echmiadzin to greet Pope Francis on June 24, which is the beginning of his historical visit.

The statement which is posted on the website of the church reads: “The Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin invites its faithful to the Mother Cathedral at 3:35 p.m. on June 24 to participate in the official welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis, the Holy Bishop of Rome, which will be held upon his arrival."

The supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church Karekin II and President Serzh Sargsyan invited Pope Francis to Armenia in 2014. They also attended his papal inauguration in 2013, highlighting Armenia’s growing ties with the Roman Catholic Church.

The official logo of the three-day visit is clearly designed to symbolize that rapprochement. It is a round seal painted yellow and purple: the official flag colors of the Vatican and the Armenian Church respectively. The logo also displays the emblems of the two churches.

Pope Francis' schedule includes a visit to the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, a mass for Armenian Catholics in Gyumri and a joint ecumenical service with Karekin II in Republic Square in Yerevan.