Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/06/18/pope_francis_official_schedule_for_armenia_visit_in_june/1229546

Pope Francis: Official schedule for Armenia visit in June
18/06/2016 12:00

(Vatican Radio) In a week's time Pope Francis travels to Armenia. Please find below the official programme for Pope Francis’ 3-day visit to Armenia  from Friday 24th to 26th of June. (all times are local)
 
Saturday 25th June

08.45 Visit to Tzitzernakaberd Memorial Complex

10.00 Journey by plane to Gyumri

11.00 Holy Mass in Gyumri’s Vartanants Square (Homily By the Pope and greeting by Catholicos)

16.45 Visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral of the Seven Wounds

17.15 Visit to the Holy Martyrs Armenian Catholic Cathedral in Gyumri

18.00 Journey by plane back to Yerevan

19.00 Ecumenical Encounter and Prayer for Peace in Yerevan’s Republic Square
 

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Saturday, June 25, 2016 videos of events

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4viQOq7s4PQ
Francis in Armenia: Visit to the Tzitzemakaberd Memorial Complex - 2016.06.25
Scheduled for Jun 25, 2016
Pope Francis visits the Tzitzemakaberd Memorial Complex, a monument that commemorates the victims of the Armenian genocide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X8r1KLY8X8
Francis in Armenia: Holy Mass in Gyumri - 2016.06.25
Scheduled for Jun 25, 2016
Pope Francis presides at the celebration of Holy Mass in Vartanants Square in Gyumri, on the occasion of his apostolic journey to Armenia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUFLVdwU3yg
Francis in Armenia: Ecumenical encounter and Prayer for Peace - 2016.06.25
Scheduled for Jun 25, 2016
Pope Francis participates in the Ecumenical Encounter and Prayer for Peace in Yerevan's Republic Square, on the occasion of his apostolic trip to Armenia.

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http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/never-again-pope-prays-for-armenian-genocide-victims-future-peace.cfm

Never again: Pope prays for Armenian genocide victims, future peace
6.25.2016 11:27 AM ET

CNS/Paul Haring
Pope Francis and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan arrive to visit the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia, June 25. The monument honors the estimaged 1.5 million Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks in 1915-18. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)


CNS/Paul Haring
Pope Francis Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan attend a service at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia, June 25. The monument honors the estimaged 1.5 million Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks in 1915-18. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

YEREVAN, Armenia (CNS) -- In silence and in prayer while a mournful hymn was sung, Pope Francis formally paid tribute to the estimated 1.5 million Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks in 1915-18.

Visiting the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, a monument to the martyrs, Pope Francis wrote in the guestbook, "May God preserve the memory of the Armenian people. Memories should not be watered down or forgotten; memory is a source of peace and of the future."

The words were in addition to those the pope had planned to write June 25, praying that humanity would never again know the large-scale massacre of a people and that by remembering such tragedies of the past, people would learn to vanquish evil with good.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-signs-guest-book-at-metz-yeghern-memorial

Pope signs guest book at Metz Yeghern Memorial
2016-06-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) During his visit to the Tzitzernakaberd Memorial Complex – which commemorates the ‘Metz Yeghern’ (Armenian for ‘Great Evil’, the massacre of Armenians in the early part of the twentieth century) – Pope Francis signed his name in the ‘book of honour’.

He also left a message in memory of his visit. “I pray here,” he said, “with sorrow in my heart, that there might never more be tragedies like this one, that humanity might never forget, and might know how to overcome evil with goodness; may God grant tot he beloved Armenian people and to the whole world peaceand consolation.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/catholicos-karekin-ii-greets-pope-at-mass-in-gyumr

Catholicos Karekin II greets Pope at Mass in Gyumri Armenia
2016-06-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is celebrating the Holy Mass at this hour in the Armenian city of Gyumri on the second day of his apostolic visit to the former Soviet nation. At the start of the Liturgy, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians welcomed the pontiff by thanking the Catholic Church which “gave a helping hand of brotherly love to the victims” of the devastating 1988 Armenian earthquake which killed 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

The Catholicos noted with satisfaction that “Gyumri is one of those historical towns of Armenia where centuries-old Armenican Christian values have flourished” and that they “are bearers of a beautiful tradition of Christian brotherly coexistence.”

In particular, His Holiness cited the city’s church of the Holy Mother of God which opened its doors to Christians of all denominations during “the Soviet years of atheism when churches were being destroyed or shut in Armenia and only through the zealous resistance of our people, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and a few other churches were still open.” 

The Catholicos also noted the "seal of anguish" that distinguishes Gyumri which "felt the heavy blows of the Ottoman Empire's devastating and invasive politics" when "our people were subjected to genocide" at the beginning of the twentieth century."

Below, please find the English translation of His Holiness Karekin II’s discourse:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-mass-in-gyumri-armenia

Pope Francis at Mass in Gyumri, Armenia
2016-06-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Speaking at Holy Mass Saturday in Gyumri, Armenia, Pope Francis recalled the “terrible devastation” wrought by the massive 1988 earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people and gave thanks “for all that has been rebuilt.”

In his Homily, the Pope offered three “stable foundations upon which we can tirelessly build and rebuild the Christian life.”

The first foundation, he said, is “memory:” to “recall what the Lord has done in and for us” and that “He has chosen us, loved us, called us and forgiven us.”  “The memory of a people” like those in Armenia, also needs to be preserved the Pope added.  “Even in the face of tremendous adversity,” he stressed, God has “remembered your faithfulness to the Gospel… and all those who testified, even at the price of their blood, that God’s love is more precious than life itself.”

Faith, the Holy Father said, is the second foundation on which to build Christian life. But, he warned, “there is always a danger that can dim the light of faith and that is the temptation to reduce it to something from the past, something important but belonging to another age…to be kept in a museum.”

The third foundation, the Pope added, “is merciful love:”  “We are called above all to build and rebuild paths of communion, tirelessly creating bridges of unity and working to overcome our divisions.”

Below, please find the full English translation of Pope Francis’ Homily at Holy Mass in Gyumri, Armenia:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-has-lunch-at-our-lady-of-armenia-conv

Pope Francis has lunch at Our Lady of Armenia convent and orphanage
2016-06-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Following celebration of Holy Mass in Varanans Square on Saturday morning, Pope Francis visited the convent and orphanage of Our Lady of Armenia - Boghossian Education Centre for lunch with around 60 hungry youngsters.

The orphanage is run by the Congregation of the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who also run the Diramyer Vocational School and a day-care center housed on the same campus.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-in-gyumri-armenia-thanks-popes-hospit

Pope Francis in Gyumri, Armenia thanks 'Pope's hospital'
2016-06-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) At the conclusion of Mass in Gyumri, Armenia on Saturday, Pope Francis took a moment to greet “all those who with such generosity and practical charity are helping our brothers and sisters in need.”  In particular, the Pontiff recalled what is known as “the Pope’s Hospital” desired by Pope John Paul II himself and which opened 25 years ago in Ashotsk.  “It was born of the heart of Saint John Paul II,” Pope Francis observed, “and it continues to be an important presence close to those who are suffering.”

Below, please find Pope Francis’ remarks upon conclusion of Holy Mass in Gyumri, Armenia:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/the-pope-visits-the-apostolic-and-catholic-cathedr

The Pope visits the Apostolic and Catholic Cathedrals in Gyumri
2016-06-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) During the afternoon of his second day in Armenia, Pope Francis’s schedule included a visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and to the Armenian Catholic Cathedral in the city of Gyumri, the second most populous city of the Nation.

After morning an open-air Mass in Gyumri’s central Square and lunch at a convent, the Pope travelled to the airport to board the plane taking him back to Yerevan for an event featuring an Ecumenical Encounter and a Prayer for Peace in the capital city’s Republic Square.

On the way, a first stop took him to the Apostolic Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God.

Here Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II were to be greeted by Armenian Apostolic Bishops and by a small group of disabled people and Syrian refugees.

After praying in silence before the Marian Icon of the Seven Wounds and venerating the Crucifix together with the Catholicos, the Pope was to impart his Apostolic Blessing.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/06/25/pope_to_armenias_christians_work_for_peace,_reconciliation/1240087

Pope to Armenia's Christians: work for peace and reconciliation
25/06/2016 16:58

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday urged young people in Armenia to be active peacemakers in a world suffering from persecutions and conflict. Speaking at an open air prayer service in Yerevan to leaders of all the Churches in Armenia, the Pope called on people of faith to abandon “rigid opinions and personal interests”, showing instead humility and generosity on the path towards full Christian unity.

During the prayer service for peace in Yerevan’s central Republic Square, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to which most believers in the country belong, Catholicos Karekin II spoke bluntly about the suffering and conflicts that plague the Caucasus region today. He recalled the fighting that flared again last April in the contested Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh where, he said, “Armenian villages were bombarded”, killing both soldiers and civilians.

The Patriarch also talked again about the Armenian genocide a century ago, noting how countries including Germany, an ally of Turkey during the First World War, have recently moved to recognize the atrocities as a key step towards peace and reconciliation in the region.

Pope Francis, in his words to the Christian leaders, also spoke of that “immense and senseless slaughter”, saying it is not only right, but also a duty to keep the memory of that tragedy alive. But memory, he insisted, must be transformed by love and by the driving force of faith to sow seeds of peace for the future. Memory, infused with love, he said, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation

The Pope also spoke of the wars and conflicts in the Middle East today, fueled by the proliferation of weapons and by the arms trade. Adressing the young people present in the windswept square, he urged them to become peacemakers, “actively engaged in building a culture of encounter and reconciliation”.

Citing a famous 12th century Armenian figure, Catholicos Nerses IV, remembered as a champion of efforts towards church unity, Pope Francis said Christians must find the courage to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in order to “heal memories and bind up past wounds”. He urged Armenians to work with humility and generosity for a peaceful society, based on dignified employment for all, care for those most in need and the elimination of corruption.

At the end of the prayer service, the Pope and the Patriarch watered seedlings of a vine planted by young Armenians in a model of Noah's Ark, believed to have come to rest after the great flood on the slopes of Mount Ararat, whose snow capped peaks dominate the eastern part of the country

Please find below the English translation of Pope Francis’ address at the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Peace in Yerevan
 

Photo of the altar at the link below
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/852240/pope-francis%E2%80%99s-speech-at-ecumenical-prayer-i-leave-my-peace-to-you.html

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At the prayer service...

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Catholic News Svc Retweeted
Cindy Wooden ‏@Cindy_Wooden  · 3h  3 hours ago 
Oops. That may have been dirt. I wondered why they were shaking those pitchers ....


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The big embrace. #PopeInArmenia as the guest of Armenian Catholicos Karekin II.


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#PopeFrancis: Christian martyrs, united in sacrifice & now united in heaven, point the way to full Christian unity

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/06/18/pope_francis_official_schedule_for_armenia_visit_in_june/1229546

Pope Francis: Official schedule for Armenia visit in June
18/06/2016 12:00

(Vatican Radio) In a week's time Pope Francis travels to Armenia. Please find below the official programme for Pope Francis’ 3-day visit to Armenia  from Friday 24th to 26th of June. (all times are local)
 
Sunday 26th June

09.15 Meeting with Catholic Bishops of Armenia in the Apostolic Palace at Etchmiadzin

10.00 Participation in Divine Liturgy in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral (Homily by Catholicos and greeting by the Pope)

Ecumenical Lunch with the Catholicos, Archbishops and Bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholic Bishops of Armenia and Cardinals and Bishops from the Papal entourage in the Apostolic Palace.

15.00 Meeting with delegates and benefactors of the Apostolic Armenian Church in the Apostolic Palace

16.05 Signing of Joint Declaration in the Apostolic Palace

17.00 Prayer at Khor Virap Monastery

18.15 Farewell Ceremony at airport

18.30 Departure by plane for Rome

20.40 Arrival at Rome’s Ciampino Airport

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Sunday, June 26, 2016 videos of events

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq92uDid-e8
Francis in Armenia: Divine Liturgy - 2016.06.26
Scheduled for Jun 26, 2016
Pope Francis participates in the Divine Liturgy in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Yerevan, on the occasion of his apostolic trip to Armenia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMWB-tjQmB4
Francis in Armenia: Prayer at the Monastery of Khor Virap - 2016.06.26
Scheduled for Jun 26, 2016
Pope Francis visits the Monastery of Khor Virap, dedicated to St. Gregory Illuminator where a brief prayer for peace will be said

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI9XNSWXdiY
Francis in Armenia: Farewell Ceremony - 2016.06.26
Scheduled for Jun 26, 2016
The Farewell Ceremony at the "Zvartnots" International Airport of Yerevan concludes Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Armenia. Arrival at Rome's Ciampino Airport is scheduled for 20.40 Hrs, Italian time.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/armenian-catholicos-karekin-at-divine-liturgy-in-e

Armenian Catholicos Karekin at Divine Liturgy in Etchmiadzin
2016-06-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy celebrated in Etchmiadzin, Armenia, the Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II thanked Pope Francis for his “brotherly visit” to the country and prayed that the Lord “keep firm our Churches in love and collaboration” and “grant us new opportunities for witness of brotherhood.”

Pope Francis has been the guest of the Oriental Orthodox Catholicos during his three day pastoral visit to Armenia and participated in Sunday’s celebration.

In a reflection on the miracle of the multiplication of bread, the day’s reading of the Scripture, the Catholicos recalled that Christ performed the miracle in order to feed the hungry crowds.  “The essence of this miracle, which became one of the important missions of Christ’s Holy Church,” he said, “is the satisfaction of empty spirits” by the Gospel teachings and “the support of the needy through compassion.”

The Lord urges us to be “co-workers with God,” he added, by rejuvenating the faith through good works, prayer and “worship with compassion” and “giving alms,” he said.

“Today, faith in God is being tempted and human souls are being hardened during times of hardship and difficulties as well as during times of wealth and lavishness, when they are disengaged with the concerns of those who long for daily bread and are in pain and suffering,” added the Catholicos. And, he warned:  “Faith is put to the test by extremism and other kinds of ideologies; xenophobia, addictions, passions and self-centred profits. The processes of secularism are intensifying, spiritual and ethical values and views are distorted, and the family structure, established by God, is being shaken. The root of evil in modern life is in trying to build a world without God, to construe the laws and commandments of God which bring forward economic, political, social, environmental and other problems, that day by day deepen and threaten the natural way of life.”

But, “goodness will prevail in the world and current challenges will be overcome” through Christ’s Eucharist and reflection on Christ’s teachings he observed.  Such Christian witness, he said, “will repeat the miracle of the multiplication of the bread through supporting and consoling the needy, the sick, and the sorrowful.”

Ecumenical brotherhood and mission
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-in-armenia-may-we-hasten-to-christian

Pope Francis in Armenia: May we hasten to Christian unity
2016-06-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  On the last day of his three day visit to Armenia, Pope Francis participated Sunday in the Divine Liturgy celebrated by his Oriental Orthodox host, Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II. In a discourse at the conclusion of the celebration, Pope Francis spoke of his “already unforgettable” visit and prayed that the two Churches “follow God’s call to full communion and hasten to it.”

Thanking Catholicos Karekin for his hospitality, Pope Francis said, “you have opened to me the doors of your home and we have experienced ‘how good and pleasant it is when brothers live in unity’.”

“We have met, we have embraced as brothers, we have prayed together and shared the gifts, hopes and concerns of the Church of Christ.  We have felt as one her beating heart, and we believe and experience that the Church is one,” Pope Francis said.

Citing Saints Bartholomew and Thaddeus “who first proclaimed the Gospel in these lands” and “Saints Peter and Paul who gave their lives for the Lord in Rome,”  the pontiff said they “surely rejoice to see our affection and our tangible longing for full communion.”

Francis prayed the Holy Spirit to “make all believers one heart and soul; may he come to re-establish us in unity” and, “may the cause of our scandal be dissolved” by God’s love, “above all the lack of unity among Christ’s disciples.”

Calling for peace in the Armenian Church and “complete” communion, Pope Francis prayed for “an ardent desire for unity” among Christians.  But such unity, he stressed, must not mean “the submission of one to the other, or assimilation, but rather the acceptance of all the gifts that God has given to each.”

Concluding, Pope Francis urged the faithful to “listen to the voices of the humble and poor, of the many victims of hatred who suffered and gave their lives for the faith” and to young people “who seek a future free of past divisions.”

From this holy place, the Pope said, “may a radiant light shine forth once more… and to the light of faith which has illumined these lands from the time of Saint Gregory…may there be joined the light of the love that forgives and reconciles.”

Below, please find the English translation of Pope Francis’ discourse:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/francis-at-the-monastery-of-khor-virap-at-the-foot

Francis at the monastery of ‘Khor Virap’
2016-06-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis ended his three day Apostolic journey to Armenia, his 14th abroad with a visit to ‘Khor Virap’ monastery at the foot of  Mount Ararat. A significant site linked to the conversion of  this nation to Christianity.

The red brick monastery of Khor Virap at the foot of Mount Ararat where tradition holds that Noah’s ark came to rest after the floods is one of Armenia’s most sacred sites. It’s here that the most memorable image of Pope Francis’s visit to Armenia played out.

That of the Pope and the Patriarch standing out against the skyline in unison in the shadow of the snow-capped Mount, as together they release two white doves which flutter into the evening light before soaring up high. A striking gesture which holds within it a symbol of unity and peace.

By contrast the name of the monastery provides a sinking feeling as it means 'deep dungeon'. And while dark and musty dungeons really exist here, some sinking deep into the ground, over six metres under one of the Chapels of the monastery complex, what really matters is that it was in one of these dungeons, often referred to as a well, that Saint Gregory the Illuminator, was held prisoner for thirteen lonng years before bringing about the conversion of the King in 301, so at the beginning of the fourth century. A conversion which led to Armenia becoming the first nation ever to adopt Christianity as a State religion.

And a conversion which was no doubt on the Pope’s mind as together with the Patriarch he made his way up two narrow flights of stairs to the room known as the ‘Well of Saint Gregory’. They were there  to light a candle before making their way to the nearby Chapel to pray: the Patriarch in Armenian and the Pope in Italian.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-and-catholicos-sign-joint-statement-on-justic

Pope and Catholicos sign joint statement on justice and peace
2016-06-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II, leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church on Sunday signed a common declaration, giving thanks for the progress towards Christian unity, and appealing for peace in the Middle East and other regions torn apart by conflict, terrorism and religious persecution.

At the conclusion of a three day pastoral visit to Armenia, the first country to embrace the Christian faith, the Pope joined the Patriarch in calling for a peaceful resolution in neighbouring Nagorno-Karabakh. The declaration also recalls “the extermination of a million and a half Armenian Christians, in what is generally referred to as the first genocide of the twentieth century”.

In the statement the two religious leaders pray for a change of heart in all who commit violence, as well as imploring leaders of nations to hear the cry of those people “who have urgent need of bread, not guns”.

They acknowledge all that is already being done to support victims of violence, but they insist that much more is needed on the part of political leaders and the international community to ensure the right of all to live in peace and security, to uphold the rule of law, to protect religious and ethnic minorities, to combat human trafficking and smuggling.

Please find below the full text of the Common Declaration of Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II at Holy Etchmiadzin, Republic of Armenia
 

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Inflight press conference from Armenia to Rome

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-says-church-must-accompany-gays-not-discriminate-96156/

Pope Francis says Church must accompany gays, not discriminate

Aboard the papal plane, Jun 26, 2016 / 03:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In a wide-ranging inflight press conference on his way back from Armenia on Sunday, Pope Francis responded to a question on recent comments made by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who said the Church must apologize to homosexual persons for having “marginalized” them.

Francis agreed that the Church ought to apologize in cases of discrimination against individuals struggling with same-sex attraction, and referred to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which emphasizes the need to accompany and respect these persons.

“I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally,” the Pope said June 26 on board his return flight from Armenia to Rome.

The problem is “a person that has a condition,” he said, but, echoing his comment on the way back from Rio de Janiero in 2013, noted that that if the person “has good will and who seeks God, who are we to judge?”

“We must accompany them well...this is what the catechism says, a clear catechism.”
 

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Inflight press conference from Armenia to Rome

https://cnstopstories.com/2016/06/26/christians-should-apologize-for-helping-to-marginalize-gays-pope-says/

Christians should apologize for helping to marginalize gays, pope says
Posted on June 26, 2016
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
 
During the inflight news conference, Pope Francis also said:

— He believes “the intentions of Martin Luther” were not wrong in wanting to reform the church, but “maybe some of his methods were not right.” The church in the 1500s, he said, “was not exactly a model to imitate.”

— He used the word “genocide” to describe the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in 1915-18 because that was the word commonly used in his native Argentina and he had already used it publicly a year ago. Although he said he knew Turkey objects to use of the term, “it would have sounded strange” not to use it in Armenia.

— Retired Pope Benedict XVI is a “wise man,” a valued adviser and a person dedicated to praying for the entire church, but he can no longer be considered to be exercising papal ministry. “There is only one pope.”

— “Brexit,” the referendum in which the people of Great Britain voted to leave the European Union, shows just how much work remains to be done by the EU in promoting continental unity while respecting the differences of member countries.

— The Great and Holy Council of the world’s Orthodox churches was an important first step in Orthodoxy speaking with one voice, even though four of the 14 autocephalous Orthodox churches did not attend the meeting in Crete.

— When he travels to Azerbaijan in September, he will tell the nation’s leaders and people that the Armenian leaders and people want peace. The two countries have been in a situation of tension since 1988 over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.

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Sunday, June 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica

Thomas Rosica Retweeted
Cindy Wooden ‏@Cindy_Wooden  · 2h  2 hours ago 
Sorrow. Dismay. Pain. #PopeFrancis, when I mentioned Orlando massacre.