Vatican opens diplomatic mission in Armenia

| News, Armenia

The Vatican opened a diplomatic mission in Armenia's capital Yerevan on 27 October.

The opening ceremony was attended by Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and the Vatican's Substitute for Secretariat of State, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra.

Edgar Pena Parra arrived in Armenia on 27 October on a two-day visit. He stated that the presence of the Apostolic Nunciature in Armenia would be "a symbol of building bridges in the region, creating opportunities for meetings and opening new paths towards fair and lasting peace for Armenia and the international community in general".

Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that the opening of the Apostolic Nunciature in Armenia "opens a new era of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Armenia."

Earlier in October, the Russian Orthodox Church decided to set up a diocese in Armenia. The decision was made in mid-October following the meeting of Armenian Catholicos Garegin II and Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill.

Garegin II told Patriarch Kirill that the meeting "is a real opportunity" to discuss "the high-level representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia." "Unfortunately, this issue has been postponed for a long time, but we do hope that (the Russian Orthodox Church) will one day have a high-level representation in Armenia and will contribute to strengthening our ties and cooperation," he added.

The Armenian Church welcomed the decision. Armenian priest Ter Yesayi Artenyan said that the Armenian Church "sees no danger" in the establishment of the diocese. He added that the issue had long been discussed between the religious leaders of Armenia and Russia.

There are eight Russian Orthodox churches functioning in Armenia.

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