The audience underscores the enduring commitment of both the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church to foster dialogue and collaboration.
Newsroom (16/09/2025, Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV welcomed His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, for a private audience on Tuesday morning at Villa Barberini, the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. The meeting marked the first encounter between the two leaders, continuing a tradition of dialogue between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Holy See.
The audience, described as unfolding in a “fraternal and cordial atmosphere,” focused on ecclesial matters and the ongoing challenges faced by Armenians, particularly those in Artsakh, according to Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the Armenian Apostolic Church’s representative to the Holy See, in an interview with Vatican News. Catholicos Karekin II extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit Armenia, emphasizing the shared commitment to peace rooted in justice.
A Day of Dialogue and Remembrance
Accompanied by his delegation, Karekin II proceeded to the Vatican after the audience, meeting with Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The day concluded with a visit to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where the Catholicos paid respects at the tomb of Pope Francis, with whom he had fostered a relationship of mutual respect and dialogue. Karekin II also paused in prayer before the icon of Salus Populi Romani.
A History of Ecumenical Engagement
This visit marks another chapter in Karekin II’s longstanding relationship with the Vatican, which began with his first trip to Rome in November 2000, shortly after his election as Catholicos. Hosted by St. John Paul II during the Jubilee Year, Karekin II signed a Joint Declaration with the Pope, reaffirming the shared faith in the Triune God and the One, Catholic, Apostolic, and Holy Church. The declaration underscored the ongoing journey toward full communion and a shared mission to witness Christ’s love, particularly for those in hardship.
During that visit, St. John Paul II gifted Karekin II relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, a pivotal figure in Armenian Christianity. In 2001, John Paul II became the first pope to visit Armenia, commemorating the 1700th anniversary of Christianity’s establishment as the state religion. The relics were also shared with Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and the Armenian Catholic Patriarch, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni.
Karekin II’s subsequent Vatican visits included a 2008 ecumenical celebration with Pope Benedict XVI and a 2015 Mass with Pope Francis, during which Saint Gregory of Narek was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church. Pope Francis visited Armenia in 2016, reinforcing ties with the “first Christian country.” In 2018, Karekin II attended the inauguration of a statue of Saint Gregory of Narek in the Vatican Gardens, alongside then-President Serzh Sargsyan. A 2020 meeting with Pope Francis addressed the conflict in Artsakh, with Karekin II praising the Pope’s calls for peace.
A Continued Call for Unity
Tuesday’s audience underscores the enduring commitment of both the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church to foster dialogue and collaboration. As the two leaders discussed pressing issues, including the plight of Artsakh’s Armenians, their meeting reaffirmed the shared pursuit of peace and justice, rooted in a common Christian heritage.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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