Armenian Catholicos meets Pope Francis in VaticanOctober 25, 2018 - 12:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, who is on a patriarchal visit in Italy, met Pope Francis in the Vatican on Wednesday, October 24. Photos from the meeting in the Holy See were published on the Catholicos’ Facebook page. During the visit, the Catholicos was accompanied by the Primate of Shirak Diocese, His Eminence Bishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, the Very Rev. Fr. Anania Tsaturyan, and composer Tigran Mansuryan. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |