Pope Leo XIV honors ‘courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people’ in Istanbul Pope Leo XIV dedicated the final morning of his visit to Turkey on Sunday to strengthening ties with the Armenian Apostolic Church, thanking God for \u201cthe courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, often amid tragic circumstances.\u201d The pope addressed the faithful at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul, highlighting the deepening relationship between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church and recalling key milestones in their modern ecumenical journey. The visit to the cathedral, seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, formed part of a day marked by prayer, dialogue, and reflection as the pope concluded the Turkey leg of his first international apostolic journey, which continues next in Lebanon. Armenians are one of Turkey\u2019s oldest Christian communities, with roots stretching back to the early centuries of Christianity. Their history includes periods of flourishing as well as profound suffering, especially the mass deportations and killings under the Ottoman empire in 1915, which Pope Francis termed a genocide. Today, a small Armenian minority remains in Turkey, centered largely in Istanbul, where the Armenian Patriarchate continues to serve as their spiritual and cultural anchor. Relations between the Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Churches have grown steadily in recent decades. In 1967, Catholicos Khoren I became the first primate of an Oriental Orthodox Church to visit the bishop of Rome, then Paul VI. Three years later, Catholicos Vasken I and Paul VI signed the first joint declaration between their Churches, urging Christians \u201cto rediscover themselves as brothers and sisters in Christ with a view to fostering unity.\u201d While the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople is autonomous in its internal governance, it recognizes the spiritual primacy of the Catholicos of All Armenians in Echmiadzin. The cathedral remains a central spiritual home for Turkey\u2019s Armenian community. Marking the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the pope stressed the unifying force of the Nicene Creed. \u201cWe must draw from this shared apostolic faith in order to recover the unity that existed in the early centuries between the Church of Rome and the ancient Oriental Churches,\u201d he said. Full communion, he added, \u201cdoes not imply absorption or domination, but rather an exchange of the gifts received by our Churches from the Holy Spirit.\u201d Pope Leo also honored Armenian saints, especially the 12th-century Catholicos and poet Nerses IV Shnorhali. \u201cMay the example of Saint Nerses inspire us and his prayer strengthen us on the path to full communion,\u201d he said, noting the recent commemoration of the 850th anniversary of Shnorhali\u2019s death. In a candid moment, Pope Leo blessed the traditional Armenian offering of bread and salt\u2014and, after asking the Armenian Patriarch Sahak II if he should eat the piece, he did. This was the first event of his fourth and final day in T\u00fcrkiye (Turkey): a prayer visit to the Armenian\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/8OuuyOJg21 Patriarch Sahak II Mashalian welcomed the pope to the cathedral for a program that included prayer, liturgical chanting, a welcome address, the pope\u2019s remarks, an exchange of gifts, a blessing, and a final hymn. The pope concluded the visit by blessing a commemorative plaque at the cathedral entrance. Follow all EWTN News coverage of Pope Leo\u2019s First Apostolic Trip here. This article was originally published on CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Elias Turk Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article Pope Francis urged ‘heart and spirit’ for ‘the poorest’ among us, Cardinal Artime says Rome readies for Jubilee of Youth: \u2018You will never experience anything like this again\u2019 Chastity: An Outdated Virtue? The Vatican in 2024: A Year of Global Outreach and Strategic Ambiguity Carlo Acutis and the four popes Vatican, Caritas: Global economic reforms needed to alleviate poor nations\u2019 debt crisis<\/p>\n