Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

Your Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Co-chairmen of the Conference; dear clergy; representatives of international diplomatic bodies, civil society and media organizations; and distinguished guests,

In the capital city of Yerevan in the Republic of Armenia, We greet you with pleasure and convey to you our Pontifical blessings. We appreciate the initiation of this conference devoted to religious freedom and its challenges, in a historic Christian country where every corner and stone is covered with the evidence of struggle for human values and freedom.

The respectable presence of clergy, politicians and journalists speaks to the importance and timeliness of the theme. We commend the initiative to hold the conference in Armenia under the framework of the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, in the Council of Europe. It will greatly promote the engagement of Armenia and Armenian culture in the follow-up to the "White Paper on Inter-Cultural Dialogue", adopted by the Council of Europe in 2008.

"Living together as equals in dignity", the White Paper, developed and presented by the Council of Europe, opens with this line, which introduces new horizons in the inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue. The standards of equality and freedom are often distorted in the modern world, endangering the value of inter-cultural dialogue and true understanding of religious freedom, the main aim of which is to promote tolerance, peace, sustainability and welfare in the world. It is in dialogue born with a sincere soul and approach, that an equal representation of culture and religious identity, is equivalent to the desire to see our faithful live in love and tolerance. "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

European civilization, which has entered a new phase of development, should continue to respect the cultural individualities of nations with ancient Christian roots, recognizing the diversity as Pan-European wealth. The Armenian nation and Armenian Church have long struggled throughout the ages to keep their unique spiritual-cultural heritage, and have a rich and historical experience of respecting religious diversity and tolerance. The Armenian people, who overcame the Genocide, have always followed the formula aptly stated in Christian writings "unity in the essentials, liberty in the non-essentials, love in everything." It was important for us to act together with Sister Churches and other religions, for the defense of spiritual values and the strengthening of them in human life, but in doing so, the cultural and spiritual values of neighboring nations has also been respected.

The struggle against sin, a common enemy of humanity, has been shared by the Armenian Church. This struggle was of social importance, when religious intolerance, cultural-spiritual hostility, violation of human rights and the disruption of public welfare and God-pleasing works, was dominant in society. We feel it necessary to recall the words of one of the most significant figures of our church, St. Nerses of Lambron, who noted as far back as the 12th century, under the challenging conditions of a multi-cultural and multi-national society of Cilician Armenia: "Let the struggle of ours be against Satan, the enemy of our society, and let the everyday teachings of peace be for our brother."

The Armenian Church continues to follow the path paved by this golden rule, always carrying out its mission for the sake of the welfare of society, and preserving the God-given image of humanity. Today the Armenian Church must to continue to exist as "....Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15) with its unique role in the life of Armenians. The Armenian Church, as clergy and as an institution, has never acted alone in society. Armenian society has accumulated graces and rewards in the Armenian Church throughout the ages of its history. The Church, worthy of human spiritual judgment and courageous admiration, has generated the figures of saints and luminous Patriarchs, who gave back to the Armenian nation what they received, by serving the word of God and carrying out its mission. In creating today's spiritual freedom, Armenia society must use the graces inherited from national religious traditions, for the sake of attaining the highest goals, and evaluate and understand the importance of the dimensions and content of the motherland of Armenian spirituality, which has been built on the unending values of Christianity.

Modern religious freedom is anchored on inter-religious and inter-church relations, in which the Armenian Church is engaged at the highest level. We have close ties with other denominations in Armenia and abroad. The vivid evidence of this is the continuing growth of ecumenical relations with the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches.

It is our wish that this conference, convened with the highest ideals of religious freedom, inter-cultural dialogue and tolerance, become an opportune occasion to address our social efforts for welfare and peace in the world.

Dear participants of the conference, we bring our Pontifical support, and wish for you to continue the efforts to promote and create a vibrant society through joint efforts, where each of us can live with dignity, as equal human beings.

With blessings,
KAREKIN II
Catholicos of All Armenians