ITAR-TASS News Agency
January 6, 2004 Tuesday 11:36 AM Eastern Time
HOLY ECHMIADZIN, Armenia, January 6 — One of the ancient oriental
Christian churches – the Armenian Apostolic Church – is marking
the holiday of the Christ Nativity and Epiphany on Tuesday. This is
a festive date for the entire Armenia and the Armenians dispersed
around the world. The snow-covered Holy Echmiadzin hears the stately
ringing of bells on the 1,700-year-old cathedral.
The head of the Armenian Church Catholicos Garegin II served the
festive Christmas liturgy on Tuesday morning. “Praising our Lord Jesus
Christ on the Day of Holy Christmas we shall ask Him by our first
prayer for stable peace,” the Supreme Patriarch said. He wished the
“public life of peoples and states to develop and strengthen based
on the values of humanism, because the truth is that all the people
are children of God.”
Garegin II said, “The Saviour appeared to the world with a behest
to love the neighbour.” It is for the sake of the “love of fellow
citizens that animosity and wars should vanish, terrorism and violence
stop and downtrodden rights and justice should be restored,” he said.
Greeting the believers of the Armenian Church in various countries,
the Catholicos pointed out that the “Diaspora is steadfast and viable
thanks to the Native Land experiencing progress, and the Fatherland
is strong in a united and consolidated Diaspora.”
Winding up the divine service, the blessing of the water ceremony
was held in honour of the Baptism of Christ.
Yorumlar kapatıldı.