Pope Leo XIV began the final day of his visit to Turkey with a prayer at the Armenian Apostolic Church in Istanbul.
The Pope greeted the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, and the entire Armenian Apostolic Community in Turkey.
He thanked God for the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, often in tragic circumstances.
Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude for the fraternal bonds uniting the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches.
He recalled that the first joint declaration of the Pope and the Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church was signed in May 1970 by Pope Paul VI and Catholicos Vazgen I.