The Vatican No. 2 travelled to Armenia Tuesday despite clashes there over the weekend that left eight people dead and more than 100 injured, relaying Pope Benedict XVI's wishes for peace in the region.Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, had been scheduled to leave for the former Soviet republic on Sunday.
But he put off his departure for a few days because of the unrest.
«Benedict XVI wishes you days of internal and external peace,» Bertone said during a joint prayer Tuesday with Karekin II, leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The remarks were reported by the Vatican's daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a 20-day state of emergency Saturday night following a day of clashes between government forces and demonstrators protesting alleged fraud in the Feb. 19 presidential election.
According to the Vatican newspaper, Bertone also said the pope hoped for better social conditions in Armenia and for future of justice and transparency in the country, attaching great importance to the role of the church in the process.
Bertone said the pope wished to assure the Armenian clergy and people that he is praying for them.
The visit by a top Vatican official to the former Soviet Republic underlines Benedict's desire for closer relations with Orthodox Christians.
Bertone told Karekin that the pope «joyfully awaits you in Rome to express in person his admiration for the extraordinary cultural and spiritual treasure that Armenians have given to humanity.
Bertone is due to meet with Kocharian, as well as other political and religious leaders, during his two-day visit, the Vatican said. He is scheduled to leave Thursday for Azerbaijan, as planned.
Bertone's Armenia trip is his second in as many weeks to a country undergoing political uncertainties.
He arrived in Cuba for a week long visit on Feb. 20, a day after Fidel Castro resigned from his 49-year rule.
The timing of that visit was coincidental as well.
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