Pope to celebrate mass in Azerbaijan, meet Catholic community in Georgia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Vatican says Pope Francis will meet with Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders during his Sept. 30-Oct. 2 trip to the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Associated Press reports.

The Vatican on Monday, July 11 released the itinerary for the Caucasus trip, which was originally planned as an extension of Francis' recent visit to Armenia but was split up.

In Georgia, after meeting with the president, Francis will call on the spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, and meet with the Assyrian and Chaldean Catholic community. In majority-Muslim Azerbaijan, Francis will celebrate Mass with the tiny Catholic community and meet with the chief imam, the Orthodox bishop of Baku and head of the country's Jewish community.

In his meetings with the president and Azerbaijani officials, Francis is also expected to raise the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

Returning home from Armenia, Francis said he would urge Azerbaijan during his visit to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Francis arrived in Armenia on June 24 and was greeted by the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, President Serzh Sargsyan and First Lady Rita Sargsyan.

The pope was greeted in Etchmiadzin with the Hrashapar (wondrously glorious) service, which is traditionally offered as a service of welcome to top religious clerics.

He then left for the presidential palace in Yerevan and was greeted by Sargsyan. The two headed for the receptions hall for an auditorium. Addressing the Armenian leader, Francis used the term genocide to condemn the killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.

On June 25, he visited the Armenian Genocide memorial and left a note in the guestbook. Also Saturday, the Pope and the Catholicos delivered a holy mass in Gyumri, the secong biggest country in Armenia.

In the evening, the pontiff served an ecumenical service and prayer for peace at the Republic Square in Yerevan.

On June 26, Francis participated in a divine liturgy celebrated by Karekin, then headed for Khor Virap and released doves towards the Armenian-Turkish border.