A joint communiqué between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church has been signed by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. Patriarch Kirill, who was enthroned last February, came to Armenia in line with the long-standing tradition committing any newly-elected Orthodox hierarch to pay his personal respects to the heads of autocephalous Orthodox churches around the world.
The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the oldest branches of Orthodoxy. Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 A.D., becoming the first country to proclaim it as its state religion. Despite canonical and ritualistic differences, the Russian and Armenian Orthodox churches have much in common. The joint declaration signed this week reflects their shared spiritual past and determines their future relations. A spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate, Father Philipp Ryabykh, hailed the significance of the document:
The declaration stipulates the joint protection of Christian values in the modern world at a national, regional and international level. Also, it pledges cooperation in the social sphere and in dealing with pseudo-religious organizations. Special attention is given to the exchange of experience in providing spiritual guidance for servicemen, youths and convicts. Both sides confirmed their intention to open church representations in Russia and Armenia.
During his visit, Patriarch Kirill spoke much about the peacekeeping mission of the Orthodox Church in the Caucasus. Paying tribute to victims of Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire at a memorial in Yerevan, he urged Armenians to overcome the past without forgetting it and think more about the present and future. In his speech at Yerevan State University, the Patriarch, on behalf of the Russian church, vowed to continue peacemaking efforts towards promoting a solution to Armenia's long-standing dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. He called for closer spiritual and cultural ties between nations:
"The values that cement the basis of our national and spiritual life are, in the first place, moral values. This is a system of coordinates that gives man orientation in life. In Armenia, I saw that our nations profess shared values rooted in our common religion. I am convinced that the shared aspects of our nations' historical being form a single whole. And the rest, including politics, is secondary and should by no means destroy these shared values".
The Patriarch said that during his visit he had felt at home and not as a guest. He promised to step up efforts to bolster friendship between Russians and Armenians. On the last day of his trip, His Holiness consecrated the symbolic first stone for a new Orthodox church in Yerevan.
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