Pope Francis described his three-day visit to Armenia as a pilgrimage. Upon his arrival, he was greeted with Armenian symbols –lavash and apricot. During his stopover, the Pope visited three cities, participated in two liturgies, and visited five monasteries and churches. At a meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan, he characterized the massacres of Armenians as genocide and called for peace in Nagorno Karabakh during an ecumenical prayer at the Republic Square in Yerevan. During his visit, the pontiff quoted from works by Yeghishe Charents, Nerses IV the Gracious and Gregory the Illuminator. Also, Francis received two unique gifts from Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II – the smallest-ever portrait of the pontiff and a scale model of Noah’s Ark. The pope’s journey ended in Khor Virap, where he, together with the Catholcios, released doves of peace towards the Armenian-Turkish border