https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino.html Summary of Bulletin en https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/05/18/260518b.html
- Archbishop Fermín Emilio Sosa Rodríguez, titular of Virunum, apostolic nuncio in Bolivia;

- His Excellency Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, President of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and entourage;

- His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church – See of Cilicia, Lebanon, and entourage;

- His Eminence Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the General Secretariat of the Synod;

- His Eminence Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with the superiors of the same Dicastery;

- A delegation from the “Catholic Extension Society”.

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The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present at the meeting:

 

Address of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.

When someone from Dolton, Illinois, comes, we have to open all the doors! There aren’t many of us around anymore.

Your Eminence, Your Excellency, Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, dear friends,

I am pleased to welcome you, the Members of the Board of Catholic Extension, together with your families, on your pilgrimage to Rome and to the Vatican. I pray that your time here allows you the opportunity to pray at the tombs of the Apostles and to strengthen your bonds with the Successor of Peter and the Universal Church. Such an occasion is particularly significant for you as a Pontifical Society.

Your visit to Rome takes place as we approach the Solemnity of Pentecost, a pivotal moment in the life of the Church that has particular relevance for us today. Indeed, it was only after receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit that the Apostles began to proclaim Jesus of Nazareth to men and women of “every nation under heaven” ( Acts  2:5), announcing the Good News of salvation and new life in Christ. What follows in the book of Acts is the story of the early Church and the spread of the Gospel, first in Jerusalem and then to the surrounding areas. As the Lord added to their numbers, they began to form communities grounded in fraternal unity and in the teaching of the Apostles, nourished and strengthened by the Eucharist and a life of prayer (cf. v. 42-47).

The same zeal that moved the Christians of the early Church to share the news of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Spirit inspired your founder, Father Francis Clement Kelley over 120 years ago. He sought to reach out to remote faith communities across the United States in order to bring to them the very life of Christ through the sacraments and the support of a larger Catholic community. This missionary enthusiasm is still needed today, and so I would like to thank you for your continued efforts to minister to the needs of the poorer Catholic communities both in the United States and abroad.

In a particular way, I would like to commend your work in Cuba and in Puerto Rico. The support you provide to these communities is a beautiful expression of the universality of the Church and a living reminder that “love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God” ( Dilexi Te   26). I likewise encourage the pastoral care you are offering to the disadvantaged, as well as to the many immigrant families in the United States. It is imperative that our brothers and sisters experience the warmth of a community which is marked by the presence of Christ.

The early Church bears witness to the fact that wherever there is a true faith community, Christian charity inspires its members to alleviate the suffering of others and tend to those in need, especially the poor (cf  Acts  2:45; 6:1-6). Love for the poor can therefore be understood as “the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God” ( Dilexi Te   103), and also open the door for those we serve to come to know the Lord more deeply as we bear witness to his love. 

As you continue your mission, the dedication of Catholic Extension to not only alleviate the temporal needs of those less fortunate, but also invest in building up vibrant Catholic communities is particularly necessary today. Faith-filled communities provide an opportunity for individuals to experience the joy of new life in Christ lived out in a daily, ordinary fashion. They provide support, as we have seen, for the poor, but also the strength that we all need in order to face the challenges of life with faith. In a particular way, these communities are also the “good soil” in which new vocations to the priesthood and to religious life can take root and begin to grow (cf.  Mt  13:8), providing new laborers for the harvest for years to come (cf.  Lk  10:2).

Dear brothers and sisters, let us continue to serve the Lord with gladness and generosity, motivated by love of God and neighbor and the certainty that the Father “who sees in secret will reward you” ( Mt  6:4). Entrusting all of you to the loving intercession of Mary Immaculate, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing, which I extend to everyone associated with The Catholic Extension Society, as a pledge of peace and joy in the risen Lord. Thank you.

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During the meeting, after the private meeting and the presentation of the delegation, His Holiness Aram I and Pope Leo XIV delivered their respective addresses, followed by the exchange of gifts.

Finally, there was a moment of communal prayer in the Urban VIII Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

The following is the address delivered by the Holy Father to His Holiness Aram I:

 

Address of the Holy Father

Your Holiness, dear Brother,

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” ( Eph  1:2) With the greeting of the Apostle Paul, I welcome Your Holiness and the distinguished members of your delegation at the start of your visit to the Church of Rome.

Could there be a greater spiritual bond between our Churches than the Apostle Paul of Tarsus, born in Cilicia, the place of your See, and who received the crown of martyrdom here in Rome? To Saint Paul, the Apostle par excellence of communion between the Churches, I entrust your pilgrimage to Rome. But how can I fail to mention also the great saints of the Church who worked for Christian unity? My thoughts turn to Saint Nerses the Gracious, Catholicos of Cilicia, who may be regarded as a pioneer of ecumenism – and whose recent inclusion in the  Roman Martyrology  is a further example of that “ecumenism of the saints” which already unites our Churches.

Located at the crossroads of different peoples and cultures, the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia has long been characterized by its ecumenical vocation, particularly with regard to the Church of Rome. This special relationship between our Churches, which was particularly intense in the Middle Ages, saw new developments in the 20th century and especially after the  Second Vatican Council .

I am mindful that your venerable predecessor, Catholicos Khoren I, was the first primate of an Oriental Orthodox Church to visit Rome after the Council, as early as May 1967. Yourself, Holiness, stand out for your tireless ecumenical zeal, both locally, as one of the founders of the Middle East Council of Churches, and internationally within the World Council of Churches, where you have held prominent positions.

I am deeply grateful for your efforts to foster relations with the Catholic Church and for your closeness to the Church of Rome, which you visited for the first time as Catholicos during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January 1997, and which you have honoured with your presence on numerous occasions since then.

I thank you in particular for your personal commitment to promoting theological dialogue between our Churches, which has been taking place since 2003 within the framework of the  Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches . This dialogue, which benefits from the valuable contribution of Armenian delegates, has already published three significant documents on the nature and mission of the Church, on communion in the early Church and on the sacraments. I sincerely hope that, despite recent difficulties, this dialogue will continue with renewed vigour, for there can be no restoration of communion between our Churches without unity in faith.

Your presence among us brings to mind the beloved country from which you come and which I had the joy of visiting last December. This land of Lebanon, so dear to my heart, which for so long has shown the whole world that it is possible for people of diverse cultures and religions to live together as one nation, continues to face severe trials. At a time when the unity and integrity of your country are once again under threat, our Churches are called to strengthen the fraternal bonds that unite not only Christians amongst themselves, but also with their brothers and sisters from other communities in their shared homeland. Your Holiness, I assure you of my daily prayers and of the deep concern I feel for the people of Lebanon and for the Churches of the Middle East, to which you will devote a conference during your stay in Rome.

In these days leading up to the Solemnity of Pentecost, as we prepare to relive the mystery the miracle of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the nascent Church, I am grateful to be able to pray after this meeting, together with Your Holiness, to the Spirit, Lord and Giver of life, that He may grant us the gift of unity, bestow upon us enduring peace, and renew the face of the earth.

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