VATICAN’S NUMBER TWO HEADS TO ARMENIA DESPITE CRISIS
Agence France Presse — English
March 4, 2008 Tuesday 2:33 PM GMT
Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone left Rome on Tuesday for
Armenia after postponing the trip because of violent protests and a
state of emergency in the Caucasus republic.
Pope Benedict XVI’s righthand man was to meet Catholicos Karekin II,
the spiritual leader of Armenia’s largest Christian church, as well
as members of the small Catholic community.
Cardinal Bertone, who had been set to leave for Yerevan on Sunday,
postponed the trip after Armenian authorities imposed a state of
emergency in the capital late Saturday because of deadly protests
against the alleged rigging of a February 19 presidential election.
Seven civilians and one police officer were killed as police fired
tear gas and live ammunition into the air and protesters fought back
with petrol bombs, sticks and stones.
Bertone will also meet Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, who won
election as president in last month’s vote, and outgoing President
Robert Kocharian.
The Vatican’s top diplomat will fly on Thursday to Azerbaijan
for a planned four-day visit during which he plans to meet Sheikh
Allashukur Pashazade, head of Muslims in the Caucasus, and other
religious leaders.
Bertone returned last Thursday from a high-profile trip to Cuba, where
he met with the Caribbean island nation’s new president, Raul Castro.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
