The U.S.-based bishop and three archbishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church as well as the top Armenian Catholic and Evangelical clerics of America were joined by Armenian Ambassador Narek Mkrtchian and Paula White-Cain, an American pastor and Trump’s spiritual adviser.
White-Cain spoke of a “powerful and meaningful moment at the White House” in a social post on their visit.
“Armenia holds a unique place in history as the first nation to officially embrace Christianity,” she wrote. “The Armenian people have endured tremendous hardship and persecution, yet their faith has remained strong across generations.”
“The Armenian spiritual leaders offered a collective prayer and asked for God's blessing for the well-being and future of the peoples of Armenia and the United States, and for the friendship between the two countries,” read a statement released by the Armenian Embassy in Washington.
It said they also discussed with Trump U.S.-Armenian relations, religious freedoms and “efforts to establish peace and prosperity.” They praised the U.S. president’s “contribution to the peace process established in Armenia,” added the statement.
The visiting clergymen included Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the primate of the Armenian Church’s Western Diocese in the U.S. Derderian was among a dozen bishops and archbishops who broke ranks last November to join Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s controversial campaign to oust the church’s supreme head, Catholicos Garegin II.
Derderian appears to have subsequently pledged renewed allegiance to Garegin. In February, he signed a statement by 24 other bishops reaffirming support for Garegin and condemning Armenia’s authorities for their “unfounded prosecution” of the Catholicos and a dozen other senior clergymen.
The Trump administration has not criticized Pashinian’s continuing crackdown on the top clergy denounced by the Armenian opposition and key Armenian Diaspora groups. Trump endorsed Pashinian ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections and hailed his party’s victory in the polls not recognized by the opposition.