Armenian Patriarch praises Pope Francis' efforts for Middle East peace

(Vatican Radio) Armenian Patriarch Aram told Pope Francis on Thursday that he hoped his invitation to the Palestinian and Israeli presidents to pray for peace in the Vatican would be the start of a process leading to justice and peace in the Middle East. He said the Holy Father and the Vatican are playing an important role in expressing solidarity with Christians throughout the Middle East and in Syria in particular.

Patriarch Aram, whose title is Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians, also warmly welcomed the efforts of Pope Francis to bring the Church more directly into the daily lives of people and their experiences. Speaking to Vatican Radio just after the papal audience, the Armenian leader shared his concerns about what he described as “a well organised” attack on the Armenian sector of Aleppo in Syria, as well as an attack, two months ago, on the Armenian town of Kesab on the Syrian border with Turkey.

Listen to Philippa Hitchen’s interview with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians: