Jerusalem - Arab Today
US reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West were in
Jerusalem's Old City Monday for the baptism of their daughter at the Armenian
Cathedral, church officials said.
The couple flew in from Armenia, landing at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport before
driving straight to the Holy City for the ceremony.
As the convoy pulled up to St James Cathedral in a narrow street of the Armenian
Quarter, hoards of fans thronged the car, screaming and wolf-whistling as Kardashian
climbed out of the car holding her 21-month-old daughter, North.
"It's a baptism that will take place," Archbishop Aris Shirvanian told reporters
gathered at the entrance to the church.
"Kim Kardashian's daughter will be baptised and she will become a Christian
officially and a member of the Armenian church."
The diminutive star, who is known for her curves, was modestly attired in a floor-
length gold pleated dress, with long sleeves and plunging cross-over neckline, while
her daughter wore a long white dress, her feet bare despite unseasonably chilly
weather.
West was dressed all in white.
The couple disappeared into the church for the ceremony, after which they were
expected to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City's Christian
Quarter.
The sprawling church is built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was
crucified and rose again.
They were also expected to visit the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews
can pray which is located inside the Jewish Quarter.
The US TV star's Armenian roots are on her father's side, with the family emigrating
to the US from an area that now lies inside Turkey.
Her eight-day trip to Armenia coincided with memorial ceremonies to mark the
centenary of the massacres of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in the last days of
the Ottoman Empire.
Many historians describe the World War I slaughter as the 20th century's first
genocide, but Turkey hotly denies the accusations.
Pope Francis used the word "genocide" at a special mass at the Vatican on Sunday to
mark the centenary, sparking fury from Turkey.
Source: AFP