In September, Armenian Catholic synod elected a new Patriarch, Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, 74, to lead the Armenian Catholic Church (CNEWA profile).

In October, Armenia’s president met with Pope Francis, and the Holy See opened a nunciature in Armenia’s capital.

94% of the Caucasus nation’s 3 million people (map) are Christian, and 82% are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, an
Oriental Orthodox church that ceased to be in full communion with the Holy See following the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451).