YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. The international media has widely reacted to Pope Francis’ mass delivered in Gyumri.

The Daily Mail writes Gyumri has long been a cradle of Christianity. “Pope Francis as a part of his three-day visit to Armenia, visited Gyumri to pay his tribute to their faith”, “Armenpress” reports, the news agency writes recalling that Armenia is the first country to have adopted the Christianity as a state religion in 301.

The Daily Mail quoted the words of 20-year-old Yeranuhi Antonyan, a citizen of Gyumri, who said it is encouraging that Pope Francis appreciates Armenia as a first Christian country.

The Independent also referred to Pope’s mass delivered in Gyumri. The website writes Vatican has long considered Armenia as a bastion of faith and martyrdom in largely Muslim region and as the first country to have adopted the Christianity as a state religion. “Francis returned to the theme of memory during a Mass in Gyumri, where several thousand people gathered in a central square for his only public Catholic Mass of his three-day visit to Armenia”, the Independent writes. The website quotes the words of Armine Karapetyan, a citizen of Gyumri, for whom Francis’ genocide declaration wasn’t surprising. “For me it wasn’t surprising since he has already used that word. But it was a welcome sign that he once again reaffirmed his stance in Armenia. It is a welcome sign that the world is increasingly coming to accept it as fact”.

The Wall Street Journal writes: “The Pope traveled to Gyumri, a city with a large concentration of the country’s Catholics, who number only about 280,000 in Armenia, according to Vatican statistics, less than a 10th of the country’s population”. The news agency also referred to the issue of the Armenian-Turkish closed borders. “Before his departure on June 26, Pope Francis will visit a monastery near the border with Turkey near Mount Ararat. He will be just 15 minutes from the closed border with Turkey”, the journal writes.

“After the memorial service the pope flew to say a Mass in the provincial city of Gyumri, near the border with Turkey and within sight of Mount Ararat, where the Bible says Noah's Ark landed after the Great Flood”, reported Reuters.