Pope Francis has prayed for those killed during the massacre of the Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
This morning during the second day of his Apostolic Visit to Armenia, July 24-26, the Holy Father participated in an ecumenical prayer service at the Tzitzernakaberd Memorial to the Metz Yeghern, or ‘Great Evil,’ in Armenia.
Francis offered an intercessory prayer aloud and extensive silent prayer for those who were killed in the massacre.
The service included saying an Our Father, reading two Biblical passages (Heb 10:32-36 and John 14:1-13), and the Pope’s intercessory prayer. To remember his visit to the Tzitzernakaberd Memorial, before the service concluded, Francis blessed and watered a tree.
Also present at the solemn gathering was a small group of descendants of the Armenian refugees whom Pope Pius XI hosted at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo after the Metz Yeghern.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Pope’s Intercessory Prayer: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-intercessory-prayer-at-tzitzernakaberd-memorial/
