We are proud and grateful for the Pope's visit to Armenia and his attitude, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with Vatican Radio ahead of the Pontiff's visit.
"For years he has expressed his warm attitude and respect for the nation, which was the first to adopt Christianity as state religion, and as we, Armenians, understand, this comes from his beliefs, from his heart," the President said. He recalled that 15 years ago Pope John Paul's visit to Armenia was dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of adoption of Christianity. Pope Francis' visit is dedicated to another important jubilee - the 25th anniversary of Armenia's independence."
"The relations between Armenia and Vatican have always been remarkable for the high-level political dialogue, because the relations are based on similar Christian values, common historical heritage and principles and similar approaches towards issue of the contemporary world, which are hard to solve," President Sargsyan said. The president is sure that the relations further deepened after the opening of the Armenian Embassy at the Vatican and the Holy Mass the Pontiff celebrated on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The President also attached importance to the proclamation of Gregory of Narek as 'doctor of church. "In the light of the recent developments in the Middle East and the atrocities committed against Christians, destruction of the historical and cultural heritage, the Pope's visit to the first Christian country is of special importance. After all, our country is located in the complicated region, and our people live in a complicated environment where there are many conflicts, unresolved problems and complicated relations. In this light, Pope Francis' calls for peace, tolerance and inter-regional accord are a powerful signal for settlement of these problems by peaceful means, for prosperity and peaceful co-existence of the peoples. It is a very important circumstance," the president said.