In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI welcomed His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, who was present and who also made a brief address. The Holy Father's address to Karekin II was in English, including the following excerpt from the Vatican Press Office:
In an external niche of Saint Peter’s Basilica, there is a fine statue of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, founder of the Armenian Church. It serves to remind us of the severe persecutions suffered by Armenian Christians, especially during the last century. Armenia’s many martyrs are a sign of the power of the Holy Spirit working in times of darkness, and a pledge of hope for Christians everywhere.
In the Holy Father's catechesis that followed in Italian, he spoke of the Holy Spirit and of this coming Sunday's celebration of Pentecost.
An English translation of the greeting to Karekin II and the catechesis is available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.
The Italian text of the catechesis was provided by the Vatican Press Office with short summaries in several languages. A longer summary with quotes in English is available in the Vatican Information Service press release, including this:
These days of preparation that immediately precede the Solemnity of Pentecost stimulate us to renew our hope in the help of the Holy Spirit to advance along the path of ecumenism. We have the certainty that the Lord Jesus never abandons us in our search for unity, because His Spirit is tirelessly at work to support the efforts we make to overcome all forms of division. . . . This is what Christ asks of Christians: to persevere in prayer in order to keep alive the flame of faith, hope and charity, and the longing for full unity.
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