YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Catholicos Garegin II, the leader of the Armenian Church, arrived at the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand on a pontifical visit on February 1, the press service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin reported.

The Catholicos was welcomed at the Sydney airport by Bishop Haykazun Najaryan, Primate of the Diocese, and other clergy. Representatives of Armenian organizations of Australia were also at the airport to greet the Catholicos.

On February 2, the Catholicos presided over a mass at the Armenian Apostolich Church of Holy Resurrection in Sydney.

More than 400 people came to the event to greet Catholicos Garegin II at the church.

“Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, 7rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith”, the Catholicos told the faithful.

After the mass, a meeting with the people took place at the church hall.

The full transcript of the Catholicos’s speech is available in Armenian.

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Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan