His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople served a holy mass on the occasion of the 180^th anniversary of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Gumuljine, Greece, reports “ArmenPress”, according to Agos Weekly.

Leader of the Armenian community of Gumuljine Stepan Matevosyan and several local Armenians greeted the Catholicos and the Ecumenical Patriarch, who gave brief speeches following the holy mass.

Aram I informed that he has known Bartholomew I for over 40 years. “We were in close collaboration during the sessions of the World Council of Churches in our prime. Over time, he went on to become the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Greeks, and I became the Catholicos of Cilicia, but we maintained our friendly and fraternal ties. History has shown that the Armenian and Greek Churches have always had friendly ties,” Aram I declared, mentioning that he and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew have always worked together to strengthen the relations between the two nations and churches.

In his speech, Bartholomew I talked about his willingness to continue the dialogue between the Armenian and Greek Churches.