The Pope met with the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. He donated to the Pope “The Book of Lamentations” written by Saint Gregory of Narek, in exchange Pope Francis presented a statue called “Tenderness and Love”, which represents Saint Francis of Assisi, apostle of peace and humanity and symbols of I respect. for nature, and juxtaposed with an image of a world threatened by pollution.
Vatican News
Vatican City, Monday, November 18, 2024: This morning, November 18, Pope Francis received Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with his entourage at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The private conversation lasted half an hour in the library room.
Conversations traditionally ended with an exchange of gifts. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the Pope with “The Book of Lamentations”, written by Saint Gregory of Narek. Saint Gregory was a Christian monk, theologian, and mystic venerated as a saint by the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church. The book has a handmade gold cover, the work of Armenian goldsmiths.
Pope Francis presented a work titled “Tenderness and Love” along with his apostolic documents and his message of peace for 2024. It is a sculpture that represents, on the one hand, the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, a symbol of peace and respect for humanity and nature, and on the other the image of a world in danger from pollution. The work expresses a message of love and protection of creation, inspired by the homily delivered by the Holy Father on March 19, 2013, at the beginning of his pontificate: “With a vision of tenderness and love, creation, each man and to protect, every woman must open the horizon of hope, open a ray of light in the midst of so many clouds, bring the warmth of hope!
