ARMENIAN CATHOLICOS WILL VISIT VATICAN TOMORROW

PanARMENIAN.Net - 07.11.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. Tomorrow, on November 8 the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) Garegin II will start his visit to Vatican.

As was reported to Mediamax in the press service of Holy Echmiadzin, during his visit "the Catholicos will voice his fraternal respect to the head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope John Paul II". Pope John Paul II will solemnly hand over to the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator, who brought the gospel to Armenia early in the 4th century.

The relics, having been kept in St. Gregory the Illuminator's church in Naples during the last 500 years, will be placed in Yerevan's Cathedral of Gregory the Illuminator.

The visit of the Armenian Catholicos will last 4 days and it is expected that Garegin II will hand over to the Pope John II an invitation to visit Armenia.

His Holiness John Paul II was to visit Armenia in summer 1999 but the visit was put off because of deadly illness of the Catholicos of All Armenian Garegin the First. -0-