Patriarch Rafael Petros XXI of the Armenian Catholic Church has met with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV. During the meeting, the Armenian patriarch presented the pope with a mosaic depicting the Virgin Mary, revered as Our Lady of Zmmar. The meeting was also attended by Mashtots Zahterian, Patriarchal Vicar of the Zmmar Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Institute, who shared the news, reports Factor.am.

The encounter took place during the jubilee celebration of the Eastern Catholic Churches held in Rome from May 12 to 14, where the Armenian Catholic Church participated with its bishops, clergy, and community members, under the leadership of Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholics, Rafael Petros XXI.

On May 12, a Divine Liturgy in the Armenian rite was celebrated in the Chapel of St. Paul at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The liturgy was attended by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, clergy from other Eastern Churches, and the ambassadors of Armenia to the Holy See and to Italy.