Pope visits Armenian Church Cathedral in Istanbul 

ArmInfo.  As part of his visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV visited the Cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Istanbul on the morning of November 30, the feast  of St. Andrew the Apostle, where he met with His Holiness Patriarch  Sahak II of Constantinople.

According to the Vatican press service, in his address, Pope Leo  praised God for the steadfastness of the Armenian people, who  throughout the centuries, often in tragic circumstances, remained  faithful to Christ.

The Bishop of Rome paid special attention to the figure of St. Nerses  Shnorhali, the great Armenian Catholicos and poet of the 12th  century, whose 850th anniversary was recently celebrated. The Pope  called him an example of tireless work for the reconciliation of the  Churches. "May the example of Saint Nerses inspire us, and his prayer  support us on the path to full communion," he noted.

In his speech, the Holy Father emphasized that the anniversary of the  First Ecumenical Council is an opportunity to return to the common  apostolic faith that united Rome and the Eastern Churches in the  early centuries. The Pope specifically outlined the model for future  unity.

"We must draw inspiration from the experience of the early Church to  restore full communion," Pope Leo stated. "This unity does not imply  absorption or domination, but represents an exchange of gifts with  which our Churches were endowed by the Holy Spirit."

The Holy Father also warmly recalled the historical milestones in the  rapprochement between the two Churches: the visit of Catholicos  Khoren I to Rome in 1967 and the signing of the first joint  declaration by Pope Paul VI and Catholicos Vazgen I in 1970.   According to the Pope, the "dialogue of love" begun then continues to  bear fruit today.  The Holy Father expressed hope for the speedy  resumption of the work of the International Joint Commission for  Theological Dialogue. Referring to the encyclical Ut unum sint, he  called for a search for a model of unity in which the Catholic and  Ancient Eastern Churches could walk "together, naturally."