The G20 Interfaith Forum in 2021 brought together in Bologna (Italy) many religious, political and civic leaders from different countries for three-day deliberations on September 12-14. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Pontifical Legate of the Western Europe and the Representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was invited to deliver his remarks in this forum. Archbishop Barsamian’s panel presentation on...

His Holiness Pope Francis invited Christian Leaders of Lebanon to Vatican for a Day of Prayer and Reflection for Lebanon. Some 10 senior leaders of the various Christian Churches and communities of Lebanon have arrived in the Vatican for a day of prayer and reflection with Pope Francis, on the current situation of the troubled Middle Eastern nation and its future, and to implore for the gift of peace and stability. The...

Entitled “Advancing integral disarmament in times of pandemic,” the online event advanced the goal of implementing a global ceasefire. It was organized on March 23, 2021 by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) and the Vatican Covid-19 Commission, in collaboration with the Strategic Concept for the Removal of Arms and Proliferation (SCRAP) of the SOAS University of London. The initiative was...

On March 10, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Representative of the Armenian Church to the Holy See (Vatican) and the Pontifical Legate of the Western Europe met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of the State of the Holy See. The meeting which took place at the Apostolic Palace of Vatican lasted about an hour in a very cordial atmosphere. Archbishop Barsamian first conveyed the warm greeting of His Holiness Karekin II,...

On the first liturgical commemoration of Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church, in the General Roman Calendar, the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity organized a celebration in the Vatican on Saturday 27 February, in collaboration with Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Rome, and with the Embassy of the...

His Holiness Pope Francis on 2 February, 2020, inserted four new liturgical Memorials into the Roman Calendar: Martha, Mary, and Lazarus will be celebrated together, while the three Doctors of the Church: Gregory of Narek, John of Avila, and Hidegard of Bilgen will have their own optional memorials. The decree of Pope Francis says “the combination of holiness with knowledge in the experience of the mystery of Jesus Christ...

The traditional period for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this year took place from January 18-25. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian was invited to take part in three ecumenical prayer services which were organized on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. [caption id="attachment_2248" align="alignleft" width="272"] The Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome[/caption] The Chaplain of the...

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian on  January 22 made a presentation at the public lecture series of the “Tillard Chair” of the Institute for Ecumenical Studies of the St. Thomas Aquinas Pontifical University (Angelicum). The “Tillard Chair” at the Angelicum was inaugurated by Cardinal Walter Kasper in 2003 in honor of the renowned French theologian and ecumenist Jean-Marie Tillard, OP (1927-2000). The subject of the...

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the direction of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, launched “Artsakh Outreach.” This program is designed to provide relief for the tens of thousands of displaced Armenians who have fled to safety in Armenia and are in dire need of financial, spiritual, medical and psychological support. This very important outreach project of the Armenian...

H.E. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian met with H.Em. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture and H.E. Bishop Paul Tighe, Executive Director or the Pontifical Council for Culture on December 3, 2020. The Pontifical Council for Culture is a department of the Roman Curia, which is charged with fostering relationships between the Catholic Church and other churches and cultures. Archbishop...