ARCHBISHOP KHAJAG BARSAMIAN: POPE JOHN PAUL II REPRESENTED SUPREME
POWER OF HOPE, FAITH, AND FREEDOM

NEW YORK, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The Press Office of the Eastern
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America provided “Noyan Tapan” with
the Message of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese,
on the occasion of the death of His Holiness Pope John Paul II: “It
was with great sadness that I learned of the death of His Holiness
Pope John Paul II, one of the great spiritual leaders of our era. All
Armenians are united in offering their prayers for his soul, as he was
not only a friend to our people but to all those who seek freedom. I
have been fortunate at many points in my ministry to meet with the
Pope and benefit from his wisdom. I have vivid memories of the Pope’s
meetings with His Holiness Karekin I, and His Holiness Karekin II. And
no one will ever forget the Pope’s historic visit to Armenia in 2001,
when he stood before the world as a true friend to the Armenian Church,
recognizing the suffering and tragedy Armenians have borne for their
Christian faith, but also casting his eyes forward with optimism to
our future. Just a few months earlier, in 2000, when I was privileged
to be a part of the delegation joining Catholicos Karekin II on a visit
to Rome, the Pope personally acted to return relics of St. Gregory the
Illuminator to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. In his actions and
his deeds he was, indeed, a true Christian. Pope John Paul II shared
something else with out people: a long, but finally successful,
struggle against tyranny. During the dark days of the Cold War,
when the Pope’s Poland and our own motherland were shrouded in the
atheistic fog of communism, he stood as a beacon of faith and light
to all Christians, not just Roman Catholics. Against naysayers and
politicians ready to give up to totalitarianism, the Pope represented
the supreme power of hope, faith, and freedom. Our shared belief in
the importance of religious freedom and the power of Christ is what
truly made Pope John Paul II a brother to all Armenians. May our Lord
welcome him into His blessed kingdom.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress