Pope Francis prayed for Armenia and for regional peace in an address to the bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church on Wednesday.

“Your Beatitude, dear Brothers, how can we not turn our thoughts to Armenia, not only in words but above all in our prayers, particularly for all those fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh and for the many displaced families seeking refuge?” Pope Francis asked in a speech read aloud by Msgr. Filippo Ciampanelli at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

The Vatican News reports that another key topic of the Pope’s speech was the importance of cooperation between the Armenian Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Photo: Pope Francis and Armenian Catholic bishops/Vatican News