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Catholic News 2

Gyumri, Armenia, Jun 8, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Coming on the heels of the centenary of the Armenian genocide, Pope Francis' upcoming visit to the Caucasus nation is a sign of appreciation for the fidelity to Christianity, said one prelate involved in preparations for the trip.“The Holy Father comes (in) appreciation to the Armenian nation for their fidelity to Christianity, to their faith, to their resistance, and to their culture,” said Archbishop Raphael Minassian, the Armenian Ordinary of Eastern Europe, in an interview with CNA.“I believe this is also a sign, a heavenly sign, to have the Holy Father in Armenia as a consolation, as a defense for (human rights), and the (strengthening) of society to continue to witness the mission that was given by our Lord to this nation, which is Christianity.”Archbishop Minassian explained that Armenia is a “Christian nation,” and even while under communist rule, “they kept their faith ve...

Gyumri, Armenia, Jun 8, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Coming on the heels of the centenary of the Armenian genocide, Pope Francis' upcoming visit to the Caucasus nation is a sign of appreciation for the fidelity to Christianity, said one prelate involved in preparations for the trip.

“The Holy Father comes (in) appreciation to the Armenian nation for their fidelity to Christianity, to their faith, to their resistance, and to their culture,” said Archbishop Raphael Minassian, the Armenian Ordinary of Eastern Europe, in an interview with CNA.

“I believe this is also a sign, a heavenly sign, to have the Holy Father in Armenia as a consolation, as a defense for (human rights), and the (strengthening) of society to continue to witness the mission that was given by our Lord to this nation, which is Christianity.”

Archbishop Minassian explained that Armenia is a “Christian nation,” and even while under communist rule, “they kept their faith very strong, inside, in the families.”

Armenia's national church is the Armenian Apostolic Church – an Oriental Orthodox Church to which 93 percent of the population belongs. The country also prides itself on having been the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, in 301.

The Pope's June 24-26 visit to Armenia comes little over a hundred years after the 1915 Armenian genocide, during which some 1.5 million Christians were killed by the Ottoman Empire, and millions more displaced.

The Pope's visit also comes fifteen years after St. John Paul II's 2001 visit to Armenia, during which “he encouraged these people to restart and strengthen their faith and their moral social life,”  Archbishop Minassian said.

A decade and a half later, the people of Armenia “are faithful, they’re continuing their Christian faith,” he continued.

“Practically, the new generation is completely different, but still lives under the shadow of the millions of millions of martyrs that this nation gave to the universal Church.”

Although accepted as historical fact by most entities – most recently, on June 2, Germany's parliament – the governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan deny that there was a genocide, while other countries, including the United States, avoid officially recognizing it as such.

“The genocide is a crime. I don’t understand either why so many countries have refused to pronounce this word,” Archbishop Minassian said. “The crime is against humanity, and this crime occurred against the Armenians.”

He noted that “The Holy Father goes to announce the peace to the world. It is not (because of) political issues that he goes to (Armenia), unless to give this sign and this witnessing of Jesus Christ in the world.”

Asked about the significance of whether or not Pope Francis himself uses the term genocide during the visit, the prelate said: “the role of the Holy Father is to defend the weak and the people who lost their voice in this world.”

Francis' visit this summer includes a stop at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, which was built in memorial of those who perished in the genocide, as well as time for ecumenical meetings and prayers for peace, according to the schedule released by the Vatican.

This month's trip to the country comes at the invitation of Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church; the nation's civil authorities; and the local Catholic Church.

The Roman Pontiff had expressed his wish to go to Armenia in his Nov. 30 press conference in the flight from Central African Republic. In 2014, he said: “I promised the three (Armenian) Patriarchs that I would go: the promise has been made.”

The Pope has kept strong ties with the Armenian community since his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. A large portion of Armenians immigrated to Argentina following the deportations and killings of World War I, and today the country has one of the largest populations of Armenians in the world.

Armenia is the first of three Caucasus nation's on Francis' itinerary this year, with a visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan slated for Sept. 30 – Oct. 2.

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesus' first miracle of changingwater into wine expresses his invitation to share in the joy of the newcovenant and reminds people to do as he commands, Pope Francis said.The miracle also shows how he transformed the law ofMoses -- represented by water destined for ritual purification -- into the joyof the Gospel, which is represented by wine, he said. "A feast needs to have wine" as an integralpart of shared celebration, the pope said June 8 during his weekly generalaudience. "Imagine ending a wedding reception drinking tea! Itwould be embarrassing," he said, as a way to emphasize why Mary was soworried when the wine was running out at the wedding in Cana."Water is needed for life, but wine expresses theabundance of a banquet and the joy of a feast," he said.After a series of audience talks dedicated to selectedparables in the Gospel, the pope said the day's catechesis would look at thefirst of Jesus' miracles. "The wedding...

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesus' first miracle of changing water into wine expresses his invitation to share in the joy of the new covenant and reminds people to do as he commands, Pope Francis said.

The miracle also shows how he transformed the law of Moses -- represented by water destined for ritual purification -- into the joy of the Gospel, which is represented by wine, he said.

"A feast needs to have wine" as an integral part of shared celebration, the pope said June 8 during his weekly general audience.

"Imagine ending a wedding reception drinking tea! It would be embarrassing," he said, as a way to emphasize why Mary was so worried when the wine was running out at the wedding in Cana.

"Water is needed for life, but wine expresses the abundance of a banquet and the joy of a feast," he said.

After a series of audience talks dedicated to selected parables in the Gospel, the pope said the day's catechesis would look at the first of Jesus' miracles.

"The wedding at Cana is much more than a simple account of Jesus' first miracle," the pope told those gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The story sheds the first light on the "whole mystery of Christ" -- who he really is and why he came -- as well as helping open "the hearts of the disciples to the faith," he said.

The miracles, or what John the Evangelist calls "signs," were never meant to astonish people, but to "reveal the father's love," the pope said.

Jesus performing his first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana is greatly significant, the pope said. "Jesus manifests himself as the bridegroom of the people of God" and reveals the nature and depth of this relationship: "It is a new covenant of love."

"It's like the story of two people in love," he said. God and humanity seek each other out, they meet, they celebrate and they love each other.

"The church is Jesus' family into which he pours his love. It is this love that the church safeguards and wants to offer everyone." Living a Christian life is the response to God's love, he added.

Those Jesus calls to follow him are united to him as a community, as a family, Pope Francis said, and they are all invited to a feast.

The miracle, he said, also requires the servants to do exactly as Jesus tells them.

In fact, the pope said, the last words the Gospel writers attribute to Mary are, "Do whatever he tells you," leaving her command as a kind of legacy she hands down to all of humanity for all time.

At the feast, he said, Jesus stipulates a whole new covenant for "the servants of the Lord," that is, for the church, and a new mission: "Do whatever he tells you."

"Serving the Lord means listening to and putting into practice his word," the pope said; it is the guide for a Christian life.

"In Cana, Jesus' disciples become his family and the faith of the church is born. All of us are invited to that wedding feast so that the new wine will no longer run short."

Before beginning his catechesis, the pope honored a group of couples in St. Peter's Square who were celebrating 50 years of marriage. "Now that is the good wine" for families, he said.

He thanked the couples for their "beautiful witness," which, he said, was something newlyweds and young people today "must learn."

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JERUSALEM (AP) -- For years, Yehuda Glick has pushed for greater Jewish access to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site - promoting an ideology that has unnerved Palestinians and made him the target of an assassination attempt. Now, as a new member of Israel's parliament, Glick is vowing to use his office to press his cause, bringing his explosive campaign to the nation's corridors of power....

JERUSALEM (AP) -- For years, Yehuda Glick has pushed for greater Jewish access to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site - promoting an ideology that has unnerved Palestinians and made him the target of an assassination attempt. Now, as a new member of Israel's parliament, Glick is vowing to use his office to press his cause, bringing his explosive campaign to the nation's corridors of power....

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Mark Barden and David Wheeler share intimate details of their families' struggles following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in "Newtown," a documentary that gets its first public showing in Connecticut this weekend....

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Mark Barden and David Wheeler share intimate details of their families' struggles following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in "Newtown," a documentary that gets its first public showing in Connecticut this weekend....

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- A powerful new technology holds the promise of rapidly altering genes to make malaria-proof mosquitoes, eliminate their Zika-carrying cousins or wipe out an invasive species....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A powerful new technology holds the promise of rapidly altering genes to make malaria-proof mosquitoes, eliminate their Zika-carrying cousins or wipe out an invasive species....

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MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. (AP) -- Two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilots ejected safely after an apparent midair collision in eastern Georgia, the Guard said....

MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. (AP) -- Two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilots ejected safely after an apparent midair collision in eastern Georgia, the Guard said....

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Until recently, Julio Noguera worked at a bakery. Now he spends his evenings searching through the garbage for food....

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Until recently, Julio Noguera worked at a bakery. Now he spends his evenings searching through the garbage for food....

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COOPER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Police fielded complaints that a pickup truck was being driven erratically just minutes before the vehicle slammed into a group of bicyclists in western Michigan, killing five, authorities said....

COOPER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Police fielded complaints that a pickup truck was being driven erratically just minutes before the vehicle slammed into a group of bicyclists in western Michigan, killing five, authorities said....

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LONDON (AP) -- Maria Sharapova was suspended from tennis for two years Wednesday for testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open, and immediately responded by saying she would appeal the decision to sport's highest court....

LONDON (AP) -- Maria Sharapova was suspended from tennis for two years Wednesday for testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open, and immediately responded by saying she would appeal the decision to sport's highest court....

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NAYMIYAH, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces pushed deeper into Islamic State-held Fallujah on Wednesday, more than two weeks after the operation to retake the city from the militant group began, a senior military official said....

NAYMIYAH, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces pushed deeper into Islamic State-held Fallujah on Wednesday, more than two weeks after the operation to retake the city from the militant group began, a senior military official said....

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