On Thursday, November 9th, 2023, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I visited the Capitol and met with the Speaker of the House of the Representatives, Mike Johnson, followed by a meeting with Representative Adam Schiff. Subsequently, he offered the opening prayer before the session.
The prayer he recited is as follows:
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. We give thanks to you, dear God, for your gift of life. Grant us wisdom, courage, and vision. In order that we may fully dedicate ourselves to the service of the people and the United States of America. Help us, o God, actively engage in meaningful and fruitful deliberation and discussion. For the good of our people and prosperity of our country.
Help us, God of Wisdom, as elected representatives of people, to reflect and act with the profound sense of responsibility and accountability.
Help us, God of compassion, to promote mutual understanding, acceptance, and tolerance, as one nation of coherent diversities.
Help us, giver of peace and justice, to work ardently for peace with justice, in a world torn apart by violence and polarizations.
Help us, God of Mercy. Remember in our prayers more than 100,000 Armenian refugees who recently were forced to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, their centuries-old homeland, and face huge difficulties and uncertainties.
O God, protect us from evil and strengthen and guide us in our common responsibility. Amen.”
Following the prayer, a reception was held in honor of His Holiness, during which he engaged in discussions with various representatives, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Conversations during these meetings focused on the issue of Artsakh, the challenges facing Armenia, and the Palestinian crisis.
Accompanying His Holiness were the three prelates of the Americas, the co-chair of the Central Executive Council of the Holy See of Cilicia, Stepan Der Bedrossian, Secretaries of the Executive Councils of the three mentioned prelacies, and Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America. (ANCA)
