POPE BENEDICT XVI RECEIVES CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA

Vatican Radio
ticolo.asp?c=247261
Nov 24 2008
The Vatican

(24 Nov 08 – RV) Pope Benedict XVI today received the Catholicos of
the Great House of Cilicia, His Holiness, Aram I, who began a 5-day
visit to Rome and the Vatican on Sunday.

Born Pedros Keshishian in Beirut, Lebanon in 1947, the man who would
become Aram I was ordained priest in 1968, and was consecrated bishop
in Antelias on 22 August 1980.

>From 1980 to 1995 he was Primate of Lebanon at the head of the Armenian
Prelacy of Lebanon.

The Catholicos of Cilicia is the spiritual leader of all Armenian
Christians living outside their native land, and Aram I is a
charismatic figure who has been deeply involved in ecumenical efforts
for decades.

It gives me a profound spiritual joy to greet your holiness in the
spirit of Christian love and the commitment to the visible unity of
the Church which your predecessor, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II,
of blessed memory, and we greeted each other in 1997.

Following hymn and prayer in the Redemptoris mater chapel of the
Apostolic Palace, the Catholicos of Cilicia spoke words of Salutation
to Pope Benedict XVI, in which he expressed the urgency of the need
for Chrsitians to continue to move together along the path to unity…

The world of today, Your Holiness, with its complexities,
polarizations, and uncertainties, challenges our Churches to deepen and
broaden our ecumenical collaboration and theological dialogue, aimed
at the visible unity of the Church. We believe that a divided Church
cannot credibly and effectively take the Gospel to the world. The
united voce and the common witness of the Church in a polarized world,
is the call of Christ, which is more imperative and urgent today than
ever before.

Speaking before the Catholicos, Pope Benedict said he hopes existing
agreements will find concrete expression in new joint initiatives…

Surely the growth in understanding, respect and cooperation which has
emerged from ecumenical dialogue promises much for the proclamation
of the Gospel in our time. Throughout the world Armenians live
side by side with the faithful of the Catholic Church. An increased
understanding and appreciation of the apostolic tradition which we
share will contribute to an ever more effective common witness to the
spiritual and moral values without which a truly just and humane social
order cannot exist. For this reason, I trust that new and practical
means will be found to give expression to the common declarations we
have already signed.

Pope Benedict also assured his guest, the Catholicos, who is a native
of Beirut, that he prays daily for the people of Lebanon and for all
peoples in the Middle East, saying recent persecutions of Christians
living in various places throughout the region have been cause for
great grief…

Most recently we have all been saddened by the escalation of
persecution and violence against Christians in parts of the Middle East
and elsewhere. Only when the countries involved can determine their
own destiny, and the various ethnic groups and religious communities
accept and respect each other fully, will peace be built on the solid
foundations of solidarity, justice and respect for the legitimate
rights of individuals and peoples.

Pope Benedict concluded by saying he hopes the days of the Catholicos’
visit in Rome will be filled with many graces.

The CAtholicos of Cilicia, His Holiness, Aram I began a 5-day visit
to Rome and the Vatican on Sunday, November 23rd.

I’m Chris Altieri