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On October 12, in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East; participated in the celebration of Divine Liturgy. The celebrant was Rev. Fr. Vardan Navasardyan; Director of the Center for Christian Education of the Mother See.

During the Divine Liturgy, under the presidency of the Patriarchs of the Sister Churches, a prayer was made for the establishment of peace in the Middle East.

Prior to the prayer for peace, His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manoukyan; director of the Inter-Church Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and Primate of the Diocese of Artik, introduced to the faithful in the Mother Cathedral His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, who had traveled to Armenia on a fraternal visit at the invitation of His Holiness. Then ascending to the Holy Altar; the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Syriac Orthodox Churches greeted each other and conveyed their fatherly words and blessing to the faithful.

In his remarks, Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians said in part, “Beloved Brother in Christ, it is an infinite spiritual joy for us to offer a prayer to Almighty God during this sacred service with Your Holiness; along with our faithful people, diplomats accredited to Armenia, and representatives of the Syrian community; for the sake of world peace, particularly in the the Middle East, and for nations successful coexistence and solidarity.

During these days our Holy Church and our people have enjoyed your blessed presence, prayer and support; and our people mutually offer their love and warm feelings to you, and through you, to our Sister Syriac Church and her faithful people.

These manifestations of warm and fraternal love indeed have historical roots, and are the expression of the age-old relationship between our two Churches, which further strengthens our testimony and friendship. We value our close ties with the Syriac Orthodox Sister Church, which centuries-old pages of history are filled with the memory of saints who accepted the crown of martyrdom for the sake of Christ. The Patriarchs St. Gregory the Illuminator and St. James of Nsbin are endearing for our two nations, whose intercessions are constantly asked for by our faithful children. Such cases are numerous, which are reflected in not only the history of our Churches but also the theology, patristic and sacred literature.

The relationships of our faithful churches and people began in the Middle East. They are not a minority in this region but an inseparable and integral part of the fabric of society of the Middle East. We regret the impact of the current difficult situations in Syria, Iraq and throughout the Middle East.

Unfortunately, we are witness to the atrocities of war, whose victims are innocent people; the elderly, children and women. Sanctuaries are destroyed, Christians are evicted from their native and being forcibly converted. Prosperous and flourishing cities are in ruins. For the first time in history, Christian prayer is silenced in Mosul, Iraq.

A short while ago, the Holy Martyrs Armenian church in Deir ez-Zor; immortalizing the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide, was also destroyed. The Yezidi population is being decimated, and clergy are taken captive, among which are servants of our Sister Churches; Metropolitans Johanna Gregory Ibrahim and Bulos Yazici.

We strongly condemn any act, which is carried through the exploitation of religion; spreading death and destruction. As the apostle Paul notes, “God is not the God of discord, but of peace" (I Corinthians 14:33). Peace, for which the Holy Church of Christ is praying daily and exerting all possible efforts to achieve.

Shortly, we shall deliver a united prayer to Almighty God for the cessation of military operations in the Middle East, so that peace returns to the region, as a secure life-path will bring prosperity and joy to the people living there.

Next year we are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. With prayer we shall also remember our Assyrian brothers and sisters, who also died by the Turkish sword in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. The prayer of our peace-loving peoples, who have overcome numerous trials, is that the love and brotherhood among people and nations remain victorious; and that law and justice triumph against hatred and hostility, and the evils of terrorism and war. We pray that the Lord bless our countries, peoples, and the whole world, so that humanity continues under the blessings of the Lord.”

His Holiness, asked Almighty God to shed His abundant grace to the life of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and wished a successful reign.

His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East; conveyed the greetings of the Syriac Orthodox Church clergy and faithful to the Catholicos of All Armenians; expressing gratitude to His Holiness for the invitation and warm reception, as well as for the support provided to the Syrian people by the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, for the difficult times in Syria. “...Our two Sister Churches share 

one apostolic faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, “To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:”. (Jude 1:1). We also share in the teachings of our great forefathers that were inspired by the Holy Spirit. We are carriers of the traditions preserved by the Saints, which are common to our two Sister Churches. We have jointly shaped the history of this region, witnessing to the Gospel and the spread of Christianity.

... The general history is not the only thing that we share. Our two nations have shed their innocent blood on the universal altar of martyrdom for the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. The martyrdom has been a symbol of our two persecuted Churches. At various times our nations have given martyrs, whose life was sacrifice and giving for the sake of stability and growth of our churches.

In today's Gospel we read of a widow that gave all that she had, because she had faith in God; being sure that He would take care of all her needs (Mark 12:41-44). It is more when someone gives of himself. Which way of giving is greater than self-sacrifice? What more can anyone offer than his own life for the sake of the one they love. This is the example of each victim at every age; they were sacrificing themselves for the sake of the people they love.

... Indeed, all the martyrs have accepted death and approached it with spiritual joy because of their love for Christ. They died for Him and were honored in the Church. Their relics were the source of the miracle by our Lord Jesus Christ's name. Both Syriac and Armenian faithful also shared the suffering of martyrdom. This shows that our love towards Jesus Christ is the same, and we are ready to offer our lives and trust Him. This is a resonant response to words of St. Paul that says, “Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” (Philipians 2:17) and claims that for him “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philipians 1:21), which is a cherished desire of martyrdom for the love of Christ.

Our fathers have tolerated the persecution in the spirit and a large number of martyrs have been killed in the name of Christ. Every generation has provided the Church with martyrs, which enriched the history of saints by faithful heroes. This is how our Churches have kept the Orthodox faith and struggled against brutal repression. Together we walked the path of Golgotha, which leads us to the cross of Christ. We do this in the hope of life and salvation that was given by our Lord's resurrection. Side by side our Armenian and Syriac Churches stood firm against the evil forces, which wanted to carry our faithful to condemnation and eternal destruction. Together, we witnessed our faith mission that Christ is the Lord and that we are truly His peaceful and peace-loving disciples”, stated the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East in his remarks. His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, expressed his gratitude to the Catholicos of All Armenians for the prayer service; adding, that he would pray for those holy martyrs who gave their lives for the faith, and asked the Lord to grant His peace to Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and relieve the sufferings of the peoples in the Middle East.

Under the presidency of the two pontiffs, a personal prayer was made for the establishment of peace in the Middle East.

The sacred ceremony of the Liturgy was attended by Diocesan primates, representatives of foreign missions accredited to Armenia, benefactors of the Mother See, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranoush Hakobyan, RA Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Sergey Manasaryan, Syrian Armenian pilgrims in Armenia, and participants of the the 7th Armenian International Women's Association Conference.

After the sacred ceremony of the Liturgy Ambassador Erikas Petrikas participated to dinner at the refectory of the Mother Cathedral  of Holy Etchmiadzin.