On June 18, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians received the delegation led by Member of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Martin Petzold.

Welcoming Dr. Martin Petzold’s visit to the spiritual center of all Armenians, the Catholicos of All Armenians affirmed with satisfaction the current warm and friendly relations between the two nations and the cooperation between the two countries.

During the conversation, the Catholicos of All Armenians reflected on the historic role of the Armenian Church in the national and spiritual life of the Armenian nation, stressing the fact that the Armenians are closely linked to the Church and are aware of the Church’s important mission for the preservation of the Armenian identity. Talking about the trials and tribulations that the Armenian Church has undergone throughout history, His Holiness particularly presented the heavy losses that the Armenians and the Armenian Church suffered as a result of the Armenian Genocide. In relation to this, the Supreme Patriarch voiced hope that in 2015, when the Armenians will mark the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the international community will support the Armenians by recognizing and condemning that crime against humanity in order to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

During the meeting, the sides talked about Church-State relations, the Church’s active involvement in different spheres of public life, different religions and the activities of organizations, as well as reflected on Armenian society and economy and the challenges facing the people.

Head of the Office for Conceptual Church Issues of the Mother See, Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan and Vicar of the Armenian Diocese of Germany, Archimandrite Serovbe Isakhanyan also attended the meeting, reports the information office of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to “Hayern Aysor”.