Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church Visits the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
20.04.2026
On April 20, at the invitation of His Holiness Karegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, arrived in Armenia.
As the cathedral bells rang, the monastic clergy of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin accompanied the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East in a solemn procession to the Cathedral of the Descent of the Only-Begotten, where the Hrashapar (“The Most Glorious”) ceremony took place.
In the cathedral, both Primates bowed before the Holy Altar of the Descent. Following a joint prayer, Karegin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, welcomed His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II on behalf of the monastic clergy of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and conveyed his best wishes.
In turn, Patriarch Aphrem II expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, by God’s will, to visit Armenia and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He also offered a prayer for the prosperity of the Armenian Church, the well-being of the Armenian people, and the establishment of peace in the region.
Subsequently, a private meeting took place at the Patriarchal Residence between the Catholicos of All Armenians and Patriarch Aphrem II.
