Vatican on Pope’s Visit to Armenia

The Pope's visit to Armenia emphasizes his desire to show his closeness to the people of Armenia, who suffered much throughout its history. This was yesterday at a press conference by the head of the press service of the Holy See, Father Federico Lombardi, referring to the three-day visit of the Pope to Armenia, which starts on 24 June.

Lombardi said that during his visit the Pope will meet at the memorial complex Tsitsernakaberd with the descendants of victims of the events in 1915. However, during the one-hour press conference, the head of the Vatican press office did not utter the word "genocide," using the Armenian expression Mets Yeghern, Radio Liberty reported.

According to the official representative of the Vatican, Pope Francis has included in the group of journalists accompanying him Evangeline Himityan, daughter of the Armenian priest, a friend of the Pope since the days of his archbishop service in Buenos Aires. The ancestors of the journalist witnessed the persecution of Armenians by Ottoman Turks and managed to escape thanks to the Turkish villagers who protected them.

Father Lombardi also said remarkable details of the last day of the Pope's visit, when Francis is scheduled to visit the monastery complex of Khor Virap.

"The Khor Virap monastery is of great importance for the history of Christianity in Armenia. It was there that Gregory the Illuminator considered the founder of Christianity in Armenia was kept. It is no coincidence that it is Khor Virap shown in the official emblem of the Pope's visit to Armenia. During his visit to this monastery complex located on the border with Turkey, the Pontiff will release pigeons in the direction of Mount Ararat," said Lombardi.

 "Scheduled for June, the visit to Armenia is the first in a series planned in the course of this year visits to the region. From September 30 to October 2, the Pope will also visit Georgia and Azerbaijan," said Lombardi. -02D-