Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II arrived at noon at Heraklion, Crete, for the events organized by the community of Heraklion in collaboration with the Holy Archdiocese of Crete and the Region of Crete, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the foundation of the Armenian Church “Agios Ioannis Prodromos”, which is considered the oldest preserved church in Europe, at Kalamaki.
During his arrival at Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis”, the Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church made the following statements:
“It is a great pleasure of mine to be present at this historical place, where our children lived for centuries, making their own history. It is a delight to visit this brotherly land. God blessed us to attend the celebrations for the 350 years of our Church. May God take care of this holy land and its residents”.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris and Archbishop Irenaeus of Crete welcomed Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II at the Airport on part of the Government.
According to ANA-MPA, Mr. Bolaris stated the following: “Greece, the Greek government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Greek people welcome Catholicos Karekin from Yerevan, Armenia, and we hope he has a pleasant stay at this significant, from a historic point of view, visit to Crete”.