YEREVAN. – Pope Francis’ statement about the Armenian Genocide was unprecedented.

Director of the Inter Church Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Bishop Hovakim Manukian, who is also Primate of the Artik Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, noted the aforementioned at a press conference on Tuesday.

The bishop noted that the Armenian Apostolic Church has acknowledged this move by the Pope with great enthusiasm and gratitude.

“The Vatican mass devoted to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims was an important event,” he said.

Bishop Manukian added, however, that this was not the first time that the Holy See had spoken about the Armenian Genocide, since the latter was noted in a declaration which the Pope and the Catholicos of All Armenians had signed in 2001.

But, as the bishop stated, this was the first time that the Pontiff had called on the world to recognize the Armenian Genocide. He noted that these words by the Pope will become a message for the one billion Catholics around the world.

“The mass [at the Vatican] was a result of cooperation with the Catholic Church,” Bishop Hovakim Manukian said, and added: “This is very important from the viewpoint of the protection of the rights of the Christians in the Middle East.”