On April 20, at the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, leader of the Ghpti Orthodox Church arrived in Armenia to participate in the ceremonies commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the information service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin reports to Hayern Aysor.

At the airport, the leader of the Ghpti Church was greeted by leader of the Tavush Diocese, Father, Archbishop Yeznik Petrosyan; superintendent of educational institutions of the Mother See, Father, Bishop Gevorg Saroyan and correspondent for inter-church relations at the Mother See, Father, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan.

At the entrance to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Patriarch Tawadros was greeted by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. After the fraternal greeting, to the sounds of bells, the pontiffs of the two Churches were guided to the Mother Temple where a prayer of thanks was said in front of the Holy Table.

After the prayer, the Catholicos of All Armenians welcomed His Holiness Tawadros II with welcoming remarks.

“We feel great comfort to see the spiritual leader of our Sister Church with us and the Armenian people as we commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,” His Holiness said. The Supreme Patriarch emphasized with satisfaction that the spiritual leaders and representatives of various Churches will be condemning all types of crimes against humanity and will be praying for peace and welfare in all parts of the world. The Catholicos of All Armenians also wished the Lord help the Churches carry out their divine mission successfully to help further reinforce in nations the spirit of tolerance and mutual understanding. At the end, His Holiness wished Patriarch Tawadros II the support of the Lord in his difficult mission.

The speech by the Catholicos of All Armenians was followed by a speech by Tawadros II, leader of the Ghpti Orthodox Church. Mentioning that he has always been interested in the centuries-old history of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people, His Holiness Tawadros II also touched upon the close and friendly cooperation between the two Churches. In closing, His Holiness Tawadros II expressed confidence that this visit would become an occasion to renew the faith in Jesus Christ.