Pope Francis has awarded Armenian President Armen Sarkissian with the Grand Collar of the Papal Order of Pius IX for his contributions to the development of the relations between the Holy See and Armenia, as well as for being the first Ambassador of Armenia to the Vatican.

“The Pope instructed me to hand over to you the highest order of Vatican. This is a testimony to the unique relations existing between our countries. By opening an Apostolic Nunciature in Yerevan, we want to establish high-level relations and show to the world the importance of the first Christian nation in the history for us”, said Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State at the Holy See Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra at today’s award ceremony in Yerevan.

Parra, who is on an official visit in Armenia, attended the official opening ceremony of the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Armenia on October 27.