Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On Sunday, June 29, the uninterrupted chain of diocesan "Divine Liturgies of Oath" continued with the Diocese of Artsakh in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, presided during the Liturgy, which was celebrated in the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin by His Eminence Archbishop Barkev Martirossian, the Primate of the Diocese. His Eminence had led the pilgrimage of his diocesan clergy and faithful to the spiritual center of the Armenian People, on the occasion of the 1,700th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Mother Cathedral. 

In his sermon, Archbishop Barkev noted, "Artsakh was being subjected to persecutions because of our Christian faith from 1930 to 1989. Today, however, we are fortunate and blessed that we have maintained the Christian faith, we have our diocese and our independent republic, we have gained independence, and we have come to renew our oath. We have come to our birthplace, our spiritual home, where each Armenian is born from this baptismal font. This is the spiritual womb of each Armenian. This is the home of all of us, and we have come here to testify before all of you, before God and before the Armenian Pontiff that we are Armenian Christians and we will remain as such in Nagorno Karabagh. We have come to kneel down and to say: 'We are the faithful flock of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church, we are the spiritual children of our Pontiff and we have come here to renew and strengthen our oath, so that our faith should shine and lead our way to salvation and peace'." 

Prior to the sermon, Very Rev. Fr. Arshak Khatchatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See, welcomed the pilgrims on behalf of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin. In attendance for the Divine Liturgy were high ranking clergymen; Prime Minister of the Republic Nagorno Karabagh, Anoushavan Danielian; Permanent Representative of the Republic Nagorno Karabagh to Armenia, Arman Melikian; high ranking government officials; priests and representatives from the Church of England; the sister of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin I of blessed memory, Yester Sarkissian; national benefactors; and hundreds of faithful. 

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Karekin II presided during a solemn Repose of Souls Service, which was offered near the tomb of His Holiness Karekin I, in memory of the late Pontiff. 

In the afternoon, the pilgrims from Artsakh were received by His Holiness in the Pontifical Residence.