Armenians and Armenia Remember Pope Francis

“This morning, with the celebration of Christ’s resurrection still fresh in our hearts, the world received the sorrowful news of the passing of His Holiness Francis, of blessed memory, the late Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis was a remarkable figure in so many ways—and a friend, certainly, to the Armenian Church and people. He was very gracious to the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, during their meetings in Rome and in Armenia. Pope Francis’ personal example of humanity, tenderness, and love for people from every background and walk of life, were a beautiful witness to the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus,” Parsamyan said.

“I have always felt that His Holiness had a special connection to the faithful of the Armenian Church. Naturally, as a man of compassion, he had a tender sympathy for our people and the trials we have endured, throughout history and down to the present day. Indeed, I personally felt that sympathy when I was privileged to meet him in 2020,” he added.

He concluded, “Today, I extended my deepest sympathies to our Catholic brothers and sisters, on behalf of the clergy and people of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.”

Pope Francis in speeches stressed the importance of cooperation between the Armenian Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church, an Orthodox body.

The Pope touched on this subject twice, and ended one speech with a prayer from Saint Nerses the Gracious, a 12th-century Armenian bishop recognized as saint in both the Catholic and Armenian Orthodox Churches.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has offered condolences over the death of His Holiness Pope Francis.

“I join people around the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis. He united the hearts of many Armenians with the recognition of Armenian heritage, dedication to humanitarian cause and left an indelible memory of his visit to Armenia in 2016,” Mirzoyan said in a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter. “May the Pope’s legacy guide us toward a more peaceful world as voiced in his last Easter message.”

Dr. Noubar Afeyan posted on social media a photo of him and his friend, Ruben Vardanyan meeting Pope Francis outside St. Peter Basilica, with a quote from Francis: “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized and migrants…I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others.” He himself added, “These wise words from Pope Francis’ Easter sermon exemplify his moral leadership, and how much we will miss his vital voice and clarity of purpose. It was an honor to meet him with my friend Ruben Vardanyan. May he rest in peace, and may we all live by his example.”

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 in Buenos Aires.

In international diplomacy, Francis criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality, helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, negotiated a deal with the People’s Republic of China to define how much influence the Communist Party had in appointing Chinese bishops, and supported the cause of refugees. He called protection of migrants a “duty of civilization” and criticized anti-immigration politics, including those of US President Donald Trump. In 2022, he apologized for the Church‘s role in the “cultural genocide“ of the Canadian Indigenous peoples. Francis convened the Synod on Synodality which was described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.

(Stories from Vatican News, Armenpress and Mediamax were used to compile this report.)