Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale388

Jesus taught to his disciples, enlighten our hearts and minds, as we exchange

our greetings, hold our conversations and gather in prayer.

I gratefully recall the visits of Catholicos Vasken I and Catholicos Kar-

ekin I to the Church of Rome, and their cordial relations with my venerable

predecessors Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Their striving for Chris-

tian unity opened a new era in relations between us. I recall with particular

joy Your Holiness' visit to Rome in 2000 and your meeting with Pope John

Paul II. The ecumenical liturgy in the Vatican Basilica, celebrating the gift of

a relic of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, was one of the most memorable

events of the Great Jubilee in Rome. Pope John Paul II returned that visit

by travelling to Armenia in 2001, where You graciously hosted him at Holy

Etchmiadzin. The warm welcome you gave him on that occasion further

increased his esteem and respect for the Armenian people. The Eucharist

celebrated by Pope John Paul II on the great outdoor altar, within the

enclosure of Holy Etchmiadzin, was a further sign of growing mutual accep-

tance, in expectation of the day when we will be able to celebrate together at

the one table of the Lord.

Tomorrow evening, each of us, in our respective traditions, will begin the

liturgical celebration of Pentecost. Fifty days after the Resurrection of our

Lord Jesus Christ, we will pray earnestly to the Father, asking him to send

his Holy Spirit, the Spirit whose task it is to maintain us in divine love and

lead us into all truth. We will pray in a particular way for the unity of the

Church. On Pentecost day, it was the Holy Spirit who created from the many

languages of the crowds assembled in Jerusalem one single voice to profess

the faith. It is the Holy Spirit who brings about the Church's unity. The path

towards the restoration of full and visible communion among all Christians

may seem long and arduous. Much remains to be done to heal the deep and

painful divisions that disfigure Christ's Body. The Holy Spirit, however,

continues to guide the Church in surprising and often unexpected ways. He

can open doors that are locked, inspire words that have been forgotten, heal

relations that are broken. If our hearts and minds are open to the Spirit of

communion, God can work miracles again in the Church, restoring the bonds

of unity. Striving for Christian unity is an act of obedient trust in the work of

the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church to the full realization of the Father's

plan, in conformity with the will of Christ.

The recent history of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been written in

the contrasting colours of persecution and martyrdom, darkness and hope,