Pope Leo XIV’s Greeting to His Holiness Aram I
At the conclusion of his official visit to the Vatican, His Holiness Aram I participated in the Pope’s customary General Audience with the faithful on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
This gathering, regarded as one of the Vatican’s longstanding traditions, brings together thousands of pilgrims from around the world who travel to the Vatican to attend the weekly encounter.
His Holiness Aram I, accompanied by his delegation and present as the guest of Pope Leo XIV, attended the event held in Saint Peter’s Square before thousands of pilgrims. At the opening of the ceremony, Pope Leo XIV introduced His Holiness to the assembled faithful.
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Speaking at the start of the General Audience, Pope Leo expressed his joy to welcome Catholicos Aram I and his delegation, calling his fraternal visit “an important opportunity to strengthen the bonds of unity that already exist between us, as we move towards full communion between our Churches.”
The Pope prayed that the Holy Spirit may bless the Armenian Catholicos’ pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul. “I invite all those present to pray fervently to the Lord that your visit and meetings may constitute a further step on the path towards full unity,” he said.
Pope Leo then urged everyone to pray for peace in Lebanon and the Middle East, which he said are “once again torn apart by violence and war.” Pope Leo XIV thanked Catholicos Aram I for his “constant personal commitment to ecumenism,” especially through the theological dialogue taking place between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
“Together,” he concluded, “let us invoke the intercession of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Saint Gregory of Nareg, Saint Nerses the Gracious and, above all, the Virgin Mother of God, that they may enlighten our path towards the fullness of that unity we all desire.”
Following the address, Pope Leo XIV and His Holiness Aram I exchanged a fraternal embrace and mutual good wishes before the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.
At the conclusion of the event, the delegation of His Holiness sang the hymn “Cilicia” together with the Patriarchal anthem, during which the names of Pope Leo XIV and His Holiness Aram I were commemorated.
