Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

It is the love, solidarity and national unity that can make our national and patriotic life prosperous”

His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos of All Armenians

On May 26, in Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the annual Clergy Conference was held, which was attended by the Bishops of the Mother See, Diocesan Primates, Brotherhood of the Mother See, and over 184 clergymen from the Dioceses of Armenia and Artsakh.

Prior to the Conference, the clergy, under the presidency of the Pontiff of All Armenians; attended the Sunrise Service in the St. Gayane Monastery. Following the Sunrise Service, the Clergy Conference was held in the "Hratch and Suzanne Toufayan" Youth Center in Etchmiadzin.

The opening remarks of the Conference were made by His Eminence Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahian, Primate of the Diocese of Shirak and the Head of the Organizing Committee, following which, His Eminence made a joint speech on the following topics: “Analysis of the current situation in the Republic; Challenges”;  and “Actions of the Church in the current situation”.

Discussions were held on the presented materials, the clergymen presented their observations and suggestions reflecting on the hard situation in the country and the mission of the clergy to overcome it; as well as, the spiritual care they will provide to the families of the prisoners of war, the martyred, the missing, the wounded, the displaced; and the social and pastoral service provided by the Church in the current conditions, the existing challenges.

The Conference was concluded with the Message of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.

 “By the will of God, it was possible to organize the annual meeting of the clergy serving in the dioceses of Armenia and Artsakh, though the epidemic that the humanity faced has not yet been overcome. The need for such a gathering is imperative in the current conditions that our people and Fatherland had painful losses as a consequence of the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan, and our state faced serious new challenges. The War of Artsakh revealed many truths to us, both in terms of the geopolitical realities, and domestic political wrong processes, omissions and drawbacks of the internal political and public life. We are sure that all the phenomena will be fully assessed throughout the time”, stated in part His Holiness, noting that this meeting is also an opportunity to discuss and set the pastoral, spiritual and social priorities in this difficult situation; as well as, to properly review the ways of implementing the pastoral mission in the current hard conditions.

In his speech, the Pontiff of All Armenians reflected on the external challenges and the situation, that is the consequence of the pandemic, and then, the War of Artsakh.

“The situation on the borders of the homeland because of the dimensional aspirations of Azerbaijan, and the issue of security of our people living in the bordering regions of Gegharkunik and Syunik, which has caused serious concerns throughout the country; are also troublesome today. Yesterday we were saddened to learn that an Armenian soldier had been killed because of the Azerbaijani provocation. Strongly condemning the encroachments on the sovereignty of Armenia and the rights of our people, the Church must contribute all possible means to prevent these harassments, to return the captives and protect our sanctities”, stated the Armenian Pontiff, adding that a hundred years later, even today, the imperative of the self-defense our people is still alive; and our homeland is facing the same challenges, fighting for our identity and the right to a secure existence on this small piece of land of the historical homeland.

His Holiness emphasized that the sacred mission of the Church is both to participate in the overcoming of the current challenges, and to heal the pain, to comfort the grief, to relieve the despair and sadness that cover the souls of our people. On this occasion, the Armenian Pontiff touched upon with gratitude the various support programs implemented by the clergy during the hard days of war and in the following months.

Speaking about the catastrophic consequences of the war; the political upheavals caused by them; the upcoming parliamentary elections; the Catholicos of All Armenians noted, that it is the sacred duty of the Church to indicate the real danger of the challenges; to warn about the undesirable developments in the homeland; to take care of national solidarity, for the overcoming of the unacceptable situations and the atmosphere of hatred and intolerance.

“The coming month is crucial for our country and our people. We must make efforts, so that our people do not face new divisions and manifestations of hatred of brotherhood in this pre-election period. Let us urge the sons of our nation to be guided by the supreme interest of the nation and the homeland in their choice, to be righteous and impartial. The Church has not shown any ambition to interfere in politics; the steps taken are conditioned only by the complicated situation of crisis, the delay in resisting which is already full of new catastrophes. Driven by the vision of the future of the homeland, everything must be done to strengthen the homeland and give our people a life of hope. The church has a powerful mission: to overcome a depressive mental state caused by the war we survived, the losses we suffered, and the uncertainty of the future; as well as, to strengthen the optimism towards tomorrow, to stop migration from the country. In this case, the diligent work, zeal and personal example of each clergyman is very necessary and significant”.

The Pontiff of All Armenians wished, that may a new patriotic and professional government, with the guidance of national values, be formed in the near future; which will be able to bring his homeland out of this difficult situation due to its dedication and work; to pursue our national rights; and to ensure a dignified life and development for our people in Armenia and Artsakh. His Holiness noted the importance of the role of the Diaspora, with its huge potential, in forging a bright future for the Fatherland.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Armenian Pontiff prayed for the prosperous life of our people, for the peace and security of our homeland, Armenia and Artsakh; once again conveying His message to the clergy to be zealous in the mission of the implementation of the spiritual care of the faithful.