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Kim Kardashian, Kanye West in Jerusalem for Daughter's Baptism

U.S. 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 Sepulcher 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 U.S. TV star's Armenian roots are on her father's side, with the family emigrating to the U.S. 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: Agence France Presse


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