Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale834

HOMILIA

Precatio habita in Cappella « Redemptoris Mater » coram Sua Sanctitate Catholikos

ex Cilicia Armenorum, Aram I.*

Your Holiness,

With heartfelt affection in the Lord I greet you and the distinguished

members of your delegation on the occasion of your visit to the Church of

Rome. Our meeting today stands in continuity with the visit which you made

to my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II in January 1997, and with the

many other contacts and mutual visits which, by God's grace, have led in

recent years to closer relations between the Catholic Church and the Arme-

nian Apostolic Church.

In this year of Saint Paul, you will visit the tomb of the Apostle of the

Nations and pray with the monastic community at the basilica erected to his

memory. In that prayer, you will be united to the great host of Armenian

saints and martyrs, teachers and theologians, whose legacy of learning, holi-

ness and missionary achievements are part of the patrimony of the whole

Church. We think of Saint Nerses Shnorkhali and Saint Nerses of Lambon

who, as Bishop of Tarsus, was known as "the second Paul of Tarsus". That

testimony culminated in the twentieth century, which proved a time of un-

speakable suffering for your people. The faith and devotion of the Armenian

people have been constantly sustained by the memory of the many martyrs

who have borne witness to the Gospel down the centuries. May the grace of

that witness continue to shape the culture of your nation and inspire in

Christ's followers an ever greater trust in the saving and life-giving power

of the Cross.

The See of Cilicia has long been involved in encouraging positive ecu-

menical contacts between the Churches. Indeed, the dialogue between the

Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church has benefited signifi-

cantly from the presence of its Armenian delegates. We must be hopeful that

this dialogue will continue to move forward, since it promises to clarify

theological issues which have divided us in the past but now appear open

to greater consensus. I am confident that the current work of the Interna-

tional Commission - devoted to the theme: "The Nature, Constitution and

* Die 24 Novembris 2008.