On June 5 His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, served a special liturgy in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, an ecumenical and interreligious event attended by many members of the Armenian Church, Roman Catholic Church and many Jewish, Protestant and Eastern Rite churches.

The pontifical visit of the Catholicos to the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church was initiated by Archbishop Hovan Derderian, who called the visit a "Renaissance of Faith" for the Armenian Church. During the Pontiff's 20-day tour of the Armenian Western Diocese, he was scheduled to visit California, Nevada and Arizona, and will attend the laying of the foundation for a new cathedral for the diocese.

The ecumenical event at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels marked a special step in improving Catholic relations with orthodox churches. When Pope John Paul II visited Armenia he stayed in the Catholicos, Karekin II's, palace in Holy Etchmiadzin and celebrated Mass in his chapel. It was only fitting that the opportunity be reciprocated when the Armenian Pontiff visited Los Angeles.

"In light of Pope Benedict XVI's outreach to the orthodox community, the visit of the Catholicos to our cathedral and the fact that he is serving his divine liturgy speaks highly of the level of ecumenical cooperation between our two churches," said Father Alexi Smith, director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, prior to the visit of Karekin II.

Sunday's Cathedral service was said in classical Armenian with the exception of the reading of the epistle by Father Smith, who helped to coordinate the celebration. During his sermon (delivered in Armenian and a synopsis was read in English), Karekin II told his faithful that he was "proud of their devotion and their love" and he also shared how important it is for him to visit the people in the Armenian diaspora. He also urged remembrance of the 1.5 million victims of Armenian Genocide under the Ottoman Empire.

At the end of his remarks he drew laughter from the audience when he added in English: "This is the longest sermon ever I have done."

Following the liturgy, Vahrim "Warren" Biricik shared, "This was truly our Renaissance of Faith. We welcomed our Catholicos who came from Holy Etchmiadzin, and we are so very happy he can be here and give his fatherly blessings to all of our faithful."