Vatican City, Mar 11, 2008 / 08:23 am
Despite a state of emergency in Armenia shortening his visit, Cardinal Bertone has successfully completed his trip to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The major theme of the visit was a focus on inter-religious harmony.
Interestingly, the visit by the cardinal followed in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II, who visited the countries in 2001 and 2002 respectively.
In Armenia, Cardinal Bertone met with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and gave him a Letter from Benedict XVI in which the Pope expressed his hopes for peace in the country and for continuation along the path of ecumenism. The cardinal also met with representatives of the Catholic community of Armenia, which is a minority in the country.
On March 6, Cardinal Bertone began the second stage of his journey, traveling to Azerbaijan where, in the capital city of Baku, he presided over the opening of the church of the Immaculate Conception, which was shut down by the Soviets 70 years ago.