Pope Leo’s address to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church
of the Holy See of Cilicia (Lebanon), and Entourage
Monday, 18 May 2026
Your Holiness, dear Brother,
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” (Ephesians 1:2)
I welcome Your Holiness and the distinguished members of your delegation to the Church of Rome with the greeting of the Apostle Paul.
What greater spiritual bond could there be between our churches than that of the Apostle Paul of Tarsus, who was born in Cilicia, the location of your See, and received the crown of martyrdom here in Rome?
I entrust your pilgrimage to Rome to St Paul, the apostle par excellence of communion between the churches.
But I cannot fail to mention the great saints of the Church who worked for Christian unity.
I think of St Nerses the Gracious, Catholicos of Cilicia, who can be seen as a pioneer of ecumenism, and whose recent inclusion in the Roman Martyrology is further proof of the “ecumenism of the saints” that already unites our churches.
Situated at the intersection of various peoples and cultures, the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia has long been defined by its ecumenical mission, particularly in relation to the Church of Rome.
The relationship between our churches has always been special, reaching a particularly intense period in the Middle Ages and experiencing new developments in the 20th century, especially after the Second Vatican Council.
I am aware that your revered predecessor, Catholicos Khoren I, was the first primate of an Oriental Orthodox Church to visit Rome following the Council, in May 1967.
You, Your Holiness, are renowned for your tireless ecumenical zeal, both locally as one of the founders of the Middle East Council of Churches and internationally within the World Council of Churches, where you have held prominent positions.
I am deeply grateful for your efforts to foster relations with the Catholic Church, and for your close ties with the Church of Rome.
You visited it for the first time as Catholicos during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January 1997, and have honored it with your presence on numerous occasions since then.
I would like to thank you in particular for your personal commitment to promoting theological dialogue between our churches.
This dialogue has been taking place since 2003 within the framework of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
This dialogue benefits from the valuable contributions of Armenian delegates and has already published three significant documents on the nature and mission of the church, communion in the early church, and the sacraments.
Despite recent difficulties, I sincerely hope that this dialogue will continue with renewed vigor because there can be no restoration of communion between our churches without unity in faith.
Your presence among us reminds us of the beloved country from which you come, a place I had the joy of visiting last December.
Dear Lebanon, a land so close to my heart, has long shown the world that people of diverse cultures and religions can live together as one nation.
Yet, it continues to face severe trials.
At a time when the unity and integrity of your country are under threat once again, our churches must strengthen the fraternal bonds that unite Christians with one another and with their brothers and sisters from other communities in their shared homeland.
Your Holiness, I assure you of my daily prayers and of my deep concern for the people of Lebanon and the churches of the Middle East.
You will devote a conference to this topic during your stay in Rome.
In the days leading up to Pentecost, as we prepare to relive the miracle of the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the nascent Church, I am grateful to pray with Your Holiness.
May the Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, grant us unity, bestow enduring peace upon us, and renew the earth.
