YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian delegation headed by prime minister Andranik Margarian will leave for Vatican on April 7 to attend the funeral of the deceased Pope John Paul II. The Armenian delegation will include Armenian ambassador to Italy Ruben Shugarian, ambassador to France and Vatican Eduard Nalbandian, deputy foreign minister Armen Bayburdian and Catholicos Karekin II.
John Paul II was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to set foot on Armenian soil . He spent three days in Armenia in late September 2001 that coincided with official celebrations of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity in 301 A.D. John Paul II visited o the genocide memorial in Yerevan to pay respects to the victims of 1915 massacres of Armenians in Turkey.
In a joint communique with Karekin II issued in the Vatican in November 2000 the Pope had described the 1915 tragedy a genocide. He confirmed this by another joint statement in Yerevan during his visit.
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