A message of homage to the Holy Father from His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX

Holy Father,

I would like to express to your Holiness our great gratitude for accepting to receive us; the bishops, the priests, the religious and the faithful of our church gathered in Rome. On this joyful occasion on the occasion of the day dedicated to the Armenian Patriarchal church for the liturgical celebrations in the midst of the great Jubilee's program.

This coming together happened in a special way, as it was one year after my election as a Patriarch on the 7th of October last year. As a father and chief of the Armenian Catholic Church and the ecclesiastic communion that your Holiness wanted to confer to me straight after, on the 13th of October by a letter of congratulation and wishes that you have expressed by saying: "during the past years, I followed with a special kindness, the way undertaken by the Armenian Catholic church. I am sure that your Beatitude with the venerable bishops of the Holy Synod, filled with power of the Resurrected, with know how to guide Her with a biblical wisdom and to accompany Her to the third-millennium crowned with the glory of Her saints and priests like the Book of Revelation's bride going to meet the coming bridegroom."

We carry in our heart the memory, which is still very much alive in the audience, which your Holiness addressed to us on the occasion of the Eucharistic celebration held in your private chapel, as an extremely significant symbol that expresses by the best manifestation the complete ecclesiastic communion of our Church and the Peter Siege. We all express our filial gratitude to your Holiness.

During the coming days there will be a common task, an exchange of reflections and deepening within the sessions of our Bishops synod that will be held here in Rome to discuss the most urgent issues. First of all, it is a matter of planning a project for our future that is an ample boots of faith and takes account of the concrete waiting of our people.

We especially have in mind the preparation of the 1700th Anniversary celebration of the baptism of our Armenian nation as the first Christian nation in the history of the Universal Church. Here we have pleasure to recall the full collaboration of the Roman departments for the various events anticipated for this memorable historic occasion for all the Armenian people and especially the holy liturgy celebration according to the Armenian rite that will be held at the Archibaselique of St. Peter in the Vatican city presided by your Holiness on Sunday the 18th of February 2001. Also the transfer of the sacred relics of St. Gregory, the Illuminator patron of the Armenian Church. We hope that the publication of an encyclical (apostolic letter) from your Holiness to the whole catholic world on the 17th anniversary of Armenia's Baptism will also be possible. We also wait for the issue of the Vatican's stamp commemorating the proclamation of the beatification of the servant of God, the Archbishop Ignatuis Maloyan, martyr for the faith in 1915 along with one and a half million of the Armenian faithful.

This present day's joining with your Holiness and the Great Jubilee celebrations are very significant moments for the Armenian Church and they evoke great emotion. We come to your Holiness to renew in ourselves the knowledge that the evangelistic mission calls our church, which feels the urgency to fully discover its own potential in evangelisation and mission. We would like to thank you for urging us to announce at every occasion.

Holy Father, our church renewed its commitment in working for the service of the ecumenism so that all men can hear the voice of Christ claiming and calling for the unity of all who bear His name. We are aware of having a delicate and particular commitment that consists of witnessing to our sister churches of Echmiadzin and of the Great House of Cecilie our double and indefectible fidelity to the Unique Church founded by Christ and the Armenian traditions forged in the crucible of Christian princes and sealed by the blood of our numerous martyrs. Our specific vocation and even our innate destination as Armenian Catholics to be the makers of the unity with our Apostolic brothers. We, who practice the same liturgy and share the same religious and cultural heritage, feel ourselves call in a special way to work for the united cause. Regarding this matter we remember the wise directions of the decree, "Unitatis Redentegratio": "There is no authentic ecumenism without internal conversion because the desire of unity is born and reaches its maturity in the changing of the way we think, self-denial, and in the full exercise of charity" (No. 7).

Holy Father, your Magisterium and the special care that you bring to the Oriental Churches, provide us with hight and strength to continue growing in witnessing to the Gospel. We remember some of the gifts of your Magesterium: "The Canon Law of the Oriental Churches," the Encyclica "Unt unum sint" (so they may be one), and the apostolic letter "Orientale Lumen" (the light of the East). This way your Holiness has formulated an example of teachings to the Oriental Churches that is of great importance.

Holiness, again, today the opportunity of listening to your words and your indications for the future is offered. We thank you again, and assure you of our humble prayers for your universal mission.

We ask you to evoke the blessings of God the Father upon our Church and upon all of us here present so we can accomplish our mission that Christ entrusted us with.

Nerses Bedros XIX

Catholicos-Patriarch of the Armenian Catholics

14th September2000,Vatican City.