 52 24.06.16 - Pope Francis greeted with Hrashapar (wondrously glorious) service in Etchmiadzin                                                         Pope Francis greeted with Hrashapar service in Etchmiadzin  June 24, 2016 - 16:26 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - Pope Francis accompanied by top clerics on Friday, June 24 arrived in Etchmiadzin, the main religious center of the Armenian people. Children carrying the flags of the Vatican and Armenia met the pontiff at the Etschmiadzin Cathedral. The pope was greeted with the Hrashapar (wondrously glorious) service, which is traditionally offered as a service of welcome to top religious clerics. Both the pope and the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II delivered remarks. Francis is then scheduled to meet with President Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan. The pontiff's plane landed at the Zvartnots International Airport at 3:00pm local time. The pope caps his first day with a visit to the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, where he will stay as a guest of the patriarch.  Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18.   Partner news |  Latest news Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide  Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says.Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. |
