YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill I gave a joint thanksgiving prayer at Yerevan St. Gregory the Illuminator Church on March 17. RA President Serzh Sargsyan was present at the ceremony. Catholicos of All Armenians in his speech said that the Armenian people looking at Russia at difficult moments always found support, and Armenia has always been Russia's devoted ally. "Today we express gratitude for the brotherly support the Russian Orthodox Church showed to our people, for its great efforts in condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, as well as in the issue of Nagorno Karabakh problem's fair and peaceful settlement by organization of meetings of Azerbaijan's and Armenia's spiritual leaders," His Holiness the Patriarch said. As an expression of the deep respect and gratitude of the Armenian people spread all over the world Karekin II awarded Kirill I the highest award of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Order of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Kirill I, in his turn, gave Karekin II a Saint Cross and Plate (highest clergyman's badge). Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in his response said: "We learn of the territory of historic Armenia from the first pages of Holy Writ: "The land of Ararat is for several times mentioned in Old Testament." Kirill I also added: "It is generally known that Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion." When the christians were still cruelly persecuted in Roman Empire Armenian King Trdat permitted preaching Christ Gospel and himself christened and adopted Christianity with his country, and after invention of the alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots "the God spoke Armenian." Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia considered symbolic that the church built in 2001 on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of adoption of Christianity bears the name of St. Gregory the Illuminator and one of the niches of St. Vasily the Blessed Cathedral in Moscow Red Square is named after St. Gregory the Illuminator.

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