Video of Events

On June 28, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, received 70 participants of the fifth Pan Armenian Writers Assembly in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Following a joint prayer, Levon Ananian, President of the Writers Union of Armenia, introduced the participants and agenda of the Assembly. "We visit the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin at each assembly to receive your blessings and the blessings of the Mother See, which are very important for the strengthening of spiritual and scientific-cultural ties", Mr. Ananian stated in part. He expressed his gratitude to the Armenian Pontiff and on behalf of the participants, presented His Holiness with a two volume publication entitled "Modern Armenian Lyrics" as a sign of love and devotion to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The Catholicos of All Armenians welcomed the guests and extending his blessings to the participants. He expressed his joy for their visit to the Mother See which he called, "the birthplace of literature... The Mother See is a place of inspiration for writers, where they can feel the presence of the past and find their mission through communication with God." His Holiness expressed his appreciation to the governing members of the Writers Union for their initiative in uniting writers from Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora, in the firm belief that the Assembly would contribute to productive initiatives in the future.

His Holiness reflected on the mission of the writers - the creation of the Armenian image, mindset and world view, through works leading to the development of the homeland. "Values which are transferred to us through the pen should serve to influence the pride for the future generations, just as the works of our forefathers do for us. This is a crucial period for us - we face challenges in the preservation of national values. The leadership and decisive voice of the writer should be influential for the nation. The conscience of the nation should be the voice of the writer – bearing in mind the benefit of and the love for the homeland.

His Holiness held an open question and answer session discussing the current status and condition of the Georgian Diocese and Churches, the opening of foreign schools in Armenia, the teaching of Armenian Church History in public schools and publication of textbooks on religion and Armenian Church History for the Diaspora. There was also a reflection on the meetings of Religious Leaders during the visit of His Holiness to Baku, Azerbaijan.

At the conclusion of the meeting the Pontiff of All Armenians presented the participants with a various works published by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.