Address to His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos of All Armenians
Your Holiness, Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
Your Grace Bishop Gevorg Saroyan.
Very Reverend Archminandrites Shahe Ananyan, Tiran Petrosyan and Garegin Hambardzumyan.
Reverend Father Aghan Erndjakyan. Mister Suren Ter-Grigoryan.
Dear Fathers and Brothers in Christ.
I wholeheartedly welcome you and to the distinguished delegation accompanying you.
We, the children of the Byzantine Orthodox Church look ourselves through the mirror represented by the Armenian Church, evangelized by the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus.
The Armenian Apostolic Church has enriched and raised emperors and patriarchs not only to historic Armenia but for the entire Eastern Orthodox Church. One example of this reciprocal influence is the famous Dynasty of Bagrations whose heritiers played central role in the flourishing empires of Armenia, Georgia and Rome.
The Armenian Church of three Ecumenical Council could not attend the Synod of Chalcedon (451) due the attack of Persian invaders. This did not mean, although, that we would not recognize Church of Armenia as the Church of Saint Cyril of Alexandria and Cappadocian Fathers!
The sufferings of the Great Church of Armenia during the first world war all well known. Greek word genocide come to European languages as an expression of two large scale exterminations. One of them was the Armenian Genocide.
But even during the traumatic memories we, disciples of the Eastern Church, share the Apostolic faith of the divine providence, which leads us from shadows to light.
We Oriental Orthodox do not pray God only by words. We meet Him personally in the Trisagion, chanted with us by the angelic powers. This is the common faith of the Eastern Church where You, the members of The Armenian Apostolic Church, are truly Orthodox with us.
Your Holiness! I would like to greet You with these thoughts and express my deep gratitude for receiving you as honoured guest to the Orthodox Church of Finland and this Holy Monastery
May this visit strengthen spiritual ties between our Churches.
Among the first, remember, O Lord, Your Holiness, and grant Him for Thy Holy Church in peace, safety, honor, health and length of days, rightly to define the word of Thy truth.
Address of Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland to His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians in the Valamo Monastery of Transfiguration on March 21st 2017
