On an official visit to the Holy See, President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian visited the Pontifical Council for Culture of the Holy See and met with the Chairman of the Pontifical Council, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.
Issues related to the cooperation between the Holy See and Armenia and the development of inter-church relations were discussed at the meeting.
President Sarkissian stressed that there is a great potential for deepening cooperation between the Holy See and Armenia in preserving the cultural, educational and historical heritage. The interlocutors commended the rich agenda of inter-church relations and discussed steps to ensure their continuity. Reference was made to the implementation of joint initiatives reflecting the historical-cultural and civilizational commonalities of the two countries.
Touching upon the development of interstate relations between Armenia and the Holy See, the President of Armenia and Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi noted that the memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation signed during the visit will provide an opportunity to conduct joint research on issues of historical and cultural significance.
“We hope that it will stimulate closer ties between the Holy See and Armenia in the fields of culture, science, archeology, theology, as well as cooperation between the Armenian Apostolic and the Roman Catholic Churches,” said President Sarkissian.
The meeting was followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of culture between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia and the Holy See’s Pontifical Council.
