Pope Francis expressed hope that he will be able to visit Armenia in 2016, RIA Novosti reports.
After a 6-day visit to Africa Pope Francis said at a meeting with journalists that he will visit Mexico in 2016 and expressed hope that will be able to visit Armenia as well. However, he noted that he is old for traveling. As the Pope said the date of the visit has not been scheduled yet.
As it was informed earlier, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Director for Inter-Church Relations, Armenian Apostolic Church, said that Pope Francis would pay a visit to Armenia in 2016.
According to the bishop, the future visit has already been confirmed.
In May 2013 during a meeting with the Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Francis said that he would like to visit Armenia in the year of 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and participate in the commemorating events. The visit did not take place, but Roman Pope Francis served a liturgy at the Saint Peter Cathedral timed to the Armenian Genocide's centennial.