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Pope Francis on Saturday urged young people in Armenia to be active peacemakers in a world suffering from persecutions and conflict. Speaking at an open air prayer service in Yerevan to leaders of all the Churches in Armenia, the Pope called on people of faith to abandon “rigid opinions and personal interests”, showing instead humility and generosity on the path towards full Christian unity.

During the prayer service for peace in Yerevan’s central Republic Square, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to which most believers in the country belong, Catholicos Karekin II spoke bluntly about the suffering and conflicts that plague the Caucasus region today. He recalled the fighting that flared again last April in the contested Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh where, he said, “Armenian villages were bombarded”, killing both soldiers and civilians.

The Patriarch also talked again about the Armenian genocide a century ago, noting how countries including Germany, an ally of Turkey during the First World War, have recently moved to recognize the atrocities as a key step towards peace and reconciliation in the region.

Pope Francis, in his words to the Christian leaders, also spoke of that “immense and senseless slaughter”, saying it is not only right, but also a duty to keep the memory of that tragedy alive. But memory, he insisted, must be transformed by love and by the driving force of faith to sow seeds of peace for the future. Memory, infused with love, he said, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation

The Pope also spoke of the wars and conflicts in the Middle East today, fueled by the proliferation of weapons and by the arms trade. Adressing the young people present in the windswept square, he urged them to become peacemakers, “actively engaged in building a culture of encounter and reconciliation”.

Citing a famous 12th century Armenian figure, Catholicos Nerses IV, remembered as a champion of efforts towards church unity, Pope Francis said Christians must find the courage to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in order to “heal memories and bind up past wounds”. He urged Armenians to work with humility and generosity for a peaceful society, based on dignified employment for all, care for those most in need and the elimination of corruption.

At the end of the prayer service, the Pope and the Patriarch watered seedlings of a vine planted by young Armenians in a model of Noah’s Ark, believed to have come to rest after the great flood on the slopes of Mount Ararat, whose snow capped peaks dominate the eastern part of the country

Please find below the English translation of Pope Francis’ address at the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Peace in Yerevan

Venerable and Dear Brother, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians,

Mr President, Dear Brothers and Sisters,

God’s blessing and peace be with all of you!

I have greatly desired to visit this beloved land, your country, the first to embrace the Christian faith.  It is a grace for me to find myself here on these heights where, beneath the gaze of Mount Ararat, the very silence seems to speak.  Here the khatchkar – the stone crosses – recount a singular history bound up with rugged faith and immense suffering, a history replete with magnificent testimonies to the Gospel, to which you are heir.  I have come as a pilgrim from Rome to be with you and to express my heartfelt affection: the affection of your brother and the fraternal embrace of the whole Catholic Church, which esteems you and is close to you.

In recent years the visits and meetings between our Churches, always cordial and often memorable, have, thank God, increased.  Providence has willed that on this day commemorating the Holy Apostles of Christ we meet once again to confirm the apostolic communion between us.  I am most grateful to God for the “real and profound unity” between our Churches (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Ecumenical Celebration, Yerevan, 26 September 2001: Insegnamenti XXIV/2 [2001], 466), and I thank you for your often heroic fidelity to the Gospel, which is a priceless gift for all Christians.  Our presence here is not an exchange of ideas, but of gifts (cf. ID., Ut Unum Sint, 28): we are reaping what the Spirit has sown in us as a gift for each (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 246).  With great joy, we are walking together on a journey that has already taken us far, and we look confidently towards the day when by God’s help we shall be united around the altar of Christ’s sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic communion.  As we pursue that greatly desired goal, we are joined in a common pilgrimage; we walk with one another with “sincere trust in our fellow pilgrims, putting aside all suspicion and mistrust” (ibid., 244).

On this journey, we have been preceded by, and walk with, many witnesses, particularly all those martyrs who sealed our common faith in Christ by their blood.  They are our stars in heaven, shining upon us here below and pointing out the path towards full communion. Among the great Fathers, I would mention the saintly Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali.  He showed an extraordinary love for his people and their traditions, as well as a lively concern for other Churches.  Tireless in seeking unity, he sought to achieve Christ’s will that those who believe “may all be one” (Jn 17:21).  Unity does not have to do with strategic advantages sought out of mutual self-interest.  Rather, it is what Jesus requires of us and what we ourselves must strive to attain with good will, constant effort and consistent witness, in the fulfilment of our mission of bringing the Gospel to the world.

To realize this necessary unity, Saint Nerses tells us that in the Church more is required than the good will of a few: everyone’s prayer is needed.  It is beautiful that we have gathered here to pray for one another and with one another.  It is above all the gift of prayer that I come this evening to ask of you.  For my part, I assure you that, in offering the bread and cup at the altar, I will not fail to present to the Lord the Church of Armenia and your dear people.

Saint Nerses spoke of the need to grow in mutual love, since charity alone can heal memories and bind up past wounds.  Memory alone erases prejudices and makes us see that openness to our brothers and sisters can purify and elevate our own convictions.  For the sainted Catholicos, the journey towards unity necessarily involves imitating the love of Christ, who, “though he was rich” (2 Cor  8:9), “humbled himself” (Phil 2:8).  Following Christ’s example, we are called to find the courage needed to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in the name of the love that bends low and bestows itself, in the name of the humble love that is the blessed oil of the Christian life, the precious spiritual balm that heals, strengthens and sanctifies.  “Let us make up for our shortcomings in harmony and charity”, wrote Saint Nerses (Lettere del Signore Nerses Shnorhali, Catholicos degli Armeni, Venice, 1873, 316), and even – he suggested – with a particular gentleness of love capable of softening the hardness of the heart of Christians, for they too are often concerned only with themselves and their own advantage.  Humble and generous love, not the calculation of benefits, attracts the mercy of the Father, the blessing of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  By praying and “loving one another deeply from the heart” (cf. 1 Pet 1:22), in humility and openness of spirit, we prepare ourselves to receive God’s gift of unity.  Let us pursue our journey with determination; indeed, let us race towards our full communion!

“Peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives it, do I give it to you” (Jn 14:27).  We have heard these words of the Gospel, which invite us to implore from God that peace that the world struggles to achieve.  How many obstacles are found today along the path of peace, and how tragic the consequences of wars!  I think of all those forced to leave everything behind, particularly in the Middle East, where so many of our brothers and sisters suffer violence and persecution on account of hatred and interminable conflicts.  Those conflicts are fueled by the proliferation of weapons and by the arms trade, by the temptation to resort to force and by lack of respect for the human person, especially for the weak, the poor and those who seek only a dignified life.

Nor can I fail to think of the terrible trials that your own people experienced.  A century has just passed from the “Great Evil” unleashed upon you.  This “immense and senseless slaughter” (Greeting, Mass for Faithful of the Armenian Rite, 12 April 2015), this tragic mystery of iniquity that your people experienced in the flesh, remains impressed in our memory and burns in our hearts.  Here I would again state that your sufferings are our own: “they are the sufferings of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body” (JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter on the 1700th Anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People, 4: Insegnamenti XXIV/1 [2001], 275).  Not to forget them is not only right, it is a duty.  May they be a perennial warning lest the world fall back into the maelstrom of similar horrors!

At the same time, I recall with admiration how the Christian faith, “even at the most tragic moments of Armenian history, was the driving force that marked the beginning of your suffering people’s rebirth” (ibid., 276).  That is your true strength, which enables you to be open to the mysterious and saving path of Easter.  Wounds still open, caused by fierce and senseless hatred, can in some way be configured to the wounds of the risen Christ, those wounds that were inflicted upon him and that he bears even now impressed on his flesh.  He showed those glorious wounds to the disciples on the evening of Easter (cf. Jn 20:20).  Those terrible, painful wounds suffered on the cross, transfigured by love, have become a wellspring of forgiveness and peace.  Even the greatest pain, transformed by the saving power of the cross, of which Armenians are heralds and witnesses, can become a seed of peace for the future.

Memory, infused with love, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation, where hope arises for a better future for everyone, where “blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9).  We would all benefit from efforts to lay the foundations of a future that will resist being caught up in the illusory power of vengeance, a future of constant efforts to create the conditions for peace: dignified employment for all, care for those in greatest need, and the unending battle to eliminate corruption.

Dear young people, this future belongs to you.  Cherish the great wisdom of your elders and strive to be peacemakers: not content with the status quo, but actively engaged in building the culture of encounter and reconciliation.  May God bless your future and “grant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorno Karabakh (Message to the Armenians, 12 April 2015).

In this perspective, I would like lastly to mention another great witness and builder of Christ’s peace, Saint Gregory of Narek, whom I have proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.  He could also be defined as a “Doctor of Peace”.  Thus he wrote in the extraordinary Book that I like to consider the “spiritual constitution of the Armenian people”: “Remember [Lord,] those of the human race who are our enemies as well, and for their benefit accord them pardon and mercy… Do not destroy those who persecute me, but reform them; root out the vile ways of this world, and plant the good in me and them” (Book of Lamentations, 83, 1-2).  Narek, “profoundly conscious of sharing in every need” (ibid., 3, 2), sought also to identify with the weak and sinners of every time and place in order to intercede on behalf of all (cf. ibid., 31, 3; 32, 1; 47, 2).  He became “the intercessor of the whole world” (ibid., 28, 2).  This, his universal solidarity with humanity, is a great Christian message of peace, a heartfelt plea of mercy for all.  Armenians are present in so many countries of the world; from here, I wish fraternally to embrace everyone.  I encourage all of you, everywhere, to give voice to this desire for fellowship, to be “ambassadors of peace” (JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter for the 1700th anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People, 7: Insegnamenti XXIV/1 [2001], 278).  The whole world needs this message, it needs your presence, it needs your purest witness.  Kha’ra’rutiun amenetzun! (Peace to you!).

Pope Francis visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial this morning. The Pope left the following note in the Book of Honorary Guests:

“Here I pray with pain in my heart, so that never more will there be tragedies like this, so that humanity does not forget and knows how to overcome the evil with good. May God grant the beloved Armenian people and the entire world peace and consolation.  May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should not be diluted or forgotten. Memory is source of peace and the future. Francis 25.06.2016.”

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II, CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS, DURING THE PRAYER OF PEACE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT OF THE PONTIFF OF ROME, POPE FRANCIS

(June 25, 2016 Yerevan, Republic Square)

“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9)
Your Holiness, beloved brother in Christ,
Your Excellency, President of the Republic of Armenia,
Graceful spiritual brothers and dear faithful,

With the praise of the holy name of God Most High on our lips, today in the center of the capital Yerevan, under the blessed gaze of the biblical Mount Ararat, we have gathered together for a joint prayer. From the land of Noah from which God emanated the rainbow of peace, we raised our plea towards heaven together with Our beloved brother in Christ, Pope Francis, for establishment of peace in the world and for a secure and prosperous life. We reflect with emotion that praying with us in this square are also victims of wars, terrorism, and violence who are refugees from Azerbaijan as well as from Syria, and Iraq. With hope in God they wait for peaceful days to arrive in their native lands.

Indeed, one and a half decades ago we were greeting the third millennium with the hope that it would be the beginning of coexistence in solidarity among nations and good cooperation among countries for the sake of creating a peaceful and just world. Yet every day we hear troubling news of increased activities of war and acts of terror, unspeakable human suffering, and irreplaceable losses. Children, teenagers, women, and elderly in different corners of the world, of different nationalities, religions and confessions, become the victims of weapons of death and brutal violence, or they choose the path of refugees, overcoming inexplicable difficulties in order to find a haven of safety.

Exactly a century ago our nation was walking on this same path, finding herself in a grave situation, where because of the Armenian Genocide she had lost the majority of the homeland, and having one and a half million innocent martyrs, was fighting for the right of her existence. Today as well our nation lives under the difficult situation of an undeclared war, protecting peace within the borders of our country at a heavy price and the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in freedom in their maternal cradle. In response to our people’s peaceful aspirations, Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire and began military operations on the borders of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in the month of April. Armenian villages were bombarded and destroyed, soldiers who were protecting the peace as well as school-aged children were killed and wounded, peaceful and unarmed civilians were tortured.

By confronting these difficulties our people also feel empathy, for the ruins and losses which are continuing in the Near East, for the acts of terror that have occurred in major European cities, in Russia, the United States, Asia and Africa, and for the religious and cultural heritages which are unsparingly being destroyed in the conflict zones. How many sacred sites were desecrated and valuable artifacts destroyed in Syria, Iraq, and in the countries of the East and Africa? How many cross stones were destroyed in Azerbaijan? Buried under the wreckage, pain of loss and need, are the values and emotions of human souls.

In such situations, the mission of the Christian churches and religious leaders cannot only be confined to helping the victims, consoling them, and giving pastoral care. More practical steps must be taken on the road to searching for peace by consolidating our efforts in preventing evil, by fostering the spirit of love, solidarity and cooperation in the societies through ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, according to God’s command, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Your Holiness, it is evident that your pastoral service is truly reflecting your wholehearted dedication to the God-bestowed commandment of peace in the world and reconciliation among nations. One of the testimonies of this was your solemn mass, celebrated last year in the Basilica of St. Peter on the occasion of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide in memory of our innocent victims, when in your message you voiced the urgency of reestablishment of justice and stated; “Concealing and denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!”

Led by the same principle, in the last year new countries and organizations, once and for all condemned the Armenian Genocide, including Germany which was an ally of Turkey during the First World War, who in recent days recognized the Genocide committed against the Armenians.

Our people are grateful to Your Holiness and to all who advocate for and protect justice, and anticipate that Turkey, following Your message and the plea of many countries as well as international institutions, will demonstrate enough bravery to face their history, to end the illegal blockade of Armenia and to cease from supporting Azerbaijan’s militaristic provocations targeted against the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in freedom and peace.

Indeed, peace cannot be realized without justice, human lives cannot become the subject of speculations and cannot be neglected. As the apostle says, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34-35). Only justice that is rooted in the protection of rights of individuals and nations, can become a strong foundation for prevention of crimes committed against humanity, and the most successful path towards comprehensive conflict resolution.

It is with an eager heart that we beseech God for the realization of this objective, so that He may hear our prayers and by abundantly pouring the graces of the Holy Spirit, He may crown the brotherly love and cooperation of the Churches with fruitful results. May our merciful Lord cleanse the world from the tragedies of evil and grant peace and protection, and as the prophetic words state, they shall beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4).

Having in our hearts the spiritual joy of our meeting, which is grated to us by our benevolent God, we beseech our Lord and Savior for His grace and peace for us all, and invite You, Our beloved Brother in Christ, to deliver Your message and convey Your abundant blessings to the thousands of faithful gathered here.

 

 

 

The word ‘genocide’ was not included in the  initial text Pope Francis was to deliver at the Presidential Palace today, Director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi told a press conference in Yerevan. He said “the Pope says what he finds appopriate, and no can decides what the Pontiff should say.”

“The Pope had no reason to avoid the word ‘genocide,’ the Vatican Spokesman said.

Pope Francis not only used the word ‘genocide’, but also described the tragedy as “the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples.”

Fr. Lombardi said he can’t predict Turkey’s reaction, but added: “The Pope always speaks about peace, reconciliation and dialogue. We must remember the past to prevent new wars in the future, we must understand the lessons of the past to prevent their reoccurrence the future.”

As fo the results of the Pontiff’s first day in Armenia, Fr. Lombardi said: “The Pope is in good health and happy to be Armenia.’”

He described the joint prayer of the leaders of the two Churches at the Mother Cathedra in Etchmiadzin as a “powerful meeting.”

The Spokesman said the Pontiff was most surprised at the gift he received from the Armenian Catholicos – the Pope’s portrait 1 mm in size, which can be seen only though a microscope.

Vatican Radio – Pope Francis has sent the following telegram to the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan:

Flying over Turkey on my pastoral visit to Armenia, I extend best wishes to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens, with prayers that the Most High will bestow upon all in the nation His choicest blessings.

 

Pope Francis prayed in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral of the Holy Etchmiadzin on Friday upon arrival in the country on his 14th Apostolic Journey, along with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All the Armenians, and a select group of around 100 other dignitaries.

Pope Francis and His Holiness Karekin II exchanged a sign of peace and prayed Psalm 122 together at the high altar.

In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis thanked God for “the light of faith kindled in your land, the faith that has given Armenia its particular identity and made it a herald of Christ among the nations”.

He said faith prompted Armenia to become the first nation to accept Christianity as its religion in the year 301, as persecutions under the Emperor Diocletian still raged throughout the Roman Empire.

“For Armenia, faith in Christ has not been like a garment to be donned or doffed as circumstances or convenience dictate, but an essential part of its identity, a gift of immense significance, to be accepted with joy, preserved with great effort and strength, even at the cost of life itself.”

The Holy Father also thanked God for “the journey that the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church have undertaken through sincere and fraternal dialogue for the sake of coming to share fully in the Eucharistic banquet”.

Despite the advance in ecumenical union, Pope Francis noted the conflicts and division which mark our world and which require a solid, shared Christian witness.

“Tragically, our world is marked by divisions and conflicts, as well as by grave forms of material and spiritual poverty, including the exploitation of persons, not least children and the elderly.  It expects from Christians a witness of mutual esteem and fraternal cooperation capable of revealing to every conscience the power and truth of Christ’s resurrection.”

He also said the spirit of ecumenism both encourages dialogue and “also prevents the exploitation and manipulation of faith, for it requires us to rediscover faith’s authentic roots, and to communicate, defend and spread truth with respect for the dignity of every human being and in ways that reveal the presence of the love and salvation we wish to spread”.

The Holy Father concluded his address asking God to bless all Armenians and preserve them in the faith received from their ancestors.

“May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, ‘pillar of light for the Holy Church of the Armenians’, and Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church, bless all of you and the entire Armenian nation.”

Below, please find the official translation of Pope Francis’ speech:

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis

Visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral

Etchmiadzin, 24 June 2016

Venerable Brother,

Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians,

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is very moving for me to have crossed the threshold of this holy place, a witness to the history of your people and the centre from which its spirituality radiates.  I consider it a precious gift of God to be able to approach the holy altar from which the light of Christ shone forth in Armenia.  I greet the Catholicos of All the Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, with heartfelt thanks for his gracious invitation to visit Holy Etchmiadzin, and all the Archbishops and Bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church.  I thank you for your cordial and joyful welcome.  Thank you, Your Holiness, for having welcomed me into your home.  This sign of love eloquently bespeaks, better than any words can do, the meaning of friendship and fraternal charity.

On this solemn occasion, I give thanks to the Lord for the light of faith kindled in your land, the faith that has given Armenia its particular identity and made it a herald of Christ among the nations.  Christ is your glory and your light.  He is the sun who has illuminated and enlivened you, accompanied and sustained you, especially in times of trial.  I bow before the mercy of the Lord, who willed that Armenia should become, in the year 301, the first nation to accept Christianity as its religion, at a time when persecutions still raged throughout the Roman Empire.

For Armenia, faith in Christ has not been like a garment to be donned or doffed as circumstances or convenience dictate, but an essential part of its identity, a gift of immense significance, to be accepted with joy, preserved with great effort and strength, even at the cost of life itself.  As Saint John Paul II wrote: “With the ‘baptism’ of the Armenian community… the people acquired a new identity that was to become a constitutive and inseparable part of Armenian life.  It would no longer be possible to think that faith did not figure as an essential element among the components of this identity” (Apostolic Letter for the 1700th Anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People [2 February 2001], 2).  May the Lord bless you for this luminous testimony of faith.  It is a shining example of the great efficacy and fruitfulness of the baptism received over seventeen hundred years ago, together with the eloquent and holy sign of martyrdom, which has constantly accompanied the history of your people.

I also thank the Lord for the journey that the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church have undertaken through sincere and fraternal dialogue for the sake of coming to share fully in the Eucharistic banquet.  May the Holy Spirit help us to attain the unity for which our Lord prayed, so that his disciples may be one and the world may believe.  I gladly recall the decisive impulse given to developing closer relations and strengthening dialogue between our two Churches in recent years by Their Holinesses Vasken I and Karekin I, and by Saint John Paul II and by Benedict XVI.  As significant stages of this ecumenical engagement, I would mention: the commemoration of the Witnesses to the Faith in the twentieth century during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000; the consignment to Your Holiness of the relic of the Father of Christian Armenia, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, for the new Cathedral of Yerevan; the Joint Declaration of His Holiness John Paul II and Your Holiness, signed here in Holy Etchmiadzin; and the visits which Your Holiness has made to the Vatican for important events and commemorations.

Tragically, our world is marked by divisions and conflicts, as well as by grave forms of material and spiritual poverty, including the exploitation of persons, not least children and the elderly.  It expects from Christians a witness of mutual esteem and fraternal cooperation capable of revealing to every conscience the power and truth of Christ’s resurrection.  The patient and enduring commitment to full unity, the growth of joint initiatives and cooperation between all the Lord’s disciples in service to the common good: all these are like a radiant light in a dark night and a summons to experience even our differences in an attitude of charity and mutual understanding.  The spirit of ecumenism takes on an exemplary value also outside of the visible confines of the ecclesial community; it represents for everyone a forceful appeal to settle divergences with dialogue and appreciation for all that unites us.  It also prevents the exploitation and manipulation of faith, for it requires us to rediscover faith’s authentic roots, and to communicate, defend and spread truth with respect for the dignity of every human being and in ways that reveal the presence of the love and salvation we wish to spread.  In this way, we offer to the world – which so urgently needs it – a convincing witness that Christ is alive and at work, capable of opening new paths of reconciliation among the nations, civilizations and religions.  We offer a credible witness that God is love and mercy.

Dear brothers and sisters, when our actions are prompted by the power of Christ’s love, understanding and reciprocal esteem grow, a fruitful ecumenical journey becomes possible, and all people of goodwill, and society as a whole, are shown a concrete way to harmonize the conflicts that rend civil life and create divisions that prove hard to heal.  May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, “pillar of light for the Holy Church of the Armenians”, and Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church, bless all of you and the entire Armenian nation.  May he preserve you always in the faith you received from your ancestors, and to which you have borne glorious witness throughout the ages.

Interview of Shavarsh Kocharyan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia to German newspaper “Die Tagespost”

Question: Armenia accepted Christianity in the year of 301 as the official religion of the kingdom and its people. How would you describe the role of Christian faith for the identity of Armenia today?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Christianity should be viewed as a system of values, which forms the basis of modern-day democracy, rather than a mere religion. The fact of being the first to adopt the Christianity as its state religion back in 301 played a crucial role in the history of the Armenian people. As history testified, the Christian system of values became an integral part of the Armenian identity, and, amid suppression of external powers, the fight for preserving identity became a fight for the system of values and the Christian faith.

Question: During the history, Armenia has been threatened by superior adjacent powers most of the time. How has the Armenian national identity been able to survive?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: It will not be an exaggeration to compare all the nations of the world with the tip of iceberg. Numerous nations have become extinct, and first of all we mean not a physical extinction as itself, but rather the loss of identity and assimilation with other nations.

Despite numerous destructive campaigns and yoke of major powers, the Armenian people survived due to its struggle for the preservation of its identity based on Christian system of values.

Question: Is Armenia today again in a struggle of survival, provoked by Turkey and Azerbaijan – in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Different Armenian states existed throughout its millennia-old history. However, for centuries the Armenians lacked statehood. In the 20th century, the Armenians were twice blessed with a unique opportunity to regain independence. The First Republic of Armenia, established in 1918, lasted just under 3 years and was then forcibly integrated into the Bolshevik Russia, as a federative unit.

Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh, mentioned as part of historic Armenia by ancient authors including Strabo, Plutarch, Pliny, Claudius Ptolemy, Dion Cassius and others, had all the attributes of sovereignty in 1918-1921 and was recognized by the League of Nations as a disputed territory. In 1921, by the decision of Bolshevik Communist Party’s Bureau, Nagorno-Karabakh was incorporated into the newly Sovietized Azerbaijan, in stark contrast to the will of the people of Artsakh.

In 1991, both Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh held independence referendums in full compliance with the International Law and the Constitution of the still existing Soviet Union, which served as the bases for the establishment of modern-day Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Following the collapse of the USSR, the two Armenian states have pursued a democratic path of developing their societies. Nagorno-Karabakh faces additional challenges of overcoming the consequences of Azerbaijani aggression unleashed against the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh at the beginning of 1990s, the constant tensions maintained by Azerbaijan along the Line of Contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and the threat of resumption of military actions, as witnessed in early April this year.

Armenia will guarantee the security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within its full capabilities in case of any military aggressive action against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic strives for international recognition, however, as of now, not a single state, including Armenia, de jure recognizes the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, not to undermine the ongoing negotiation process, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. One of the key elements of the process is the determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will of its people.

The barbaric acts committed by the detachments of the Azerbaijan Army during the recent aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, i.e. the shelling of schools resulting in innocent children being killed and wounded, brutal torture, mutilation and murder of three elderly persons, including a 92 year old woman, the ISIL-style beheading of three captive soldiers of the Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces, as well as the awarding on the Presidential level of the perpetrators of such war crimes reveal the very fact why Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan.

The President of Azerbaijan has started to present territorial claims to the Republic of Armenia, declaring that the territory of Armenia separates Turkey and Azerbaijan, and that the affiliation of those territories to Armenia is a historical injustice.

And when it comes to Turkey, it fully supports Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Question: How contaminated is the relation between Armenia and Turkey: due to history and due to the partnership of Turkey and Azerbaijan?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Two factors hinder the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. The first is Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915, and secondly, Turkey unilaterally closed the border with Armenia in support for Azerbaijan’s policy of blockading Armenia. Thus the Turkish-Armenian border is the only closed border in Europe.

By the initiative of Armenia and support of mediator states, Protocols on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey were drafted and signed in Zurich in 2009. The Protocols were aimed at a step-by-step normalization of relations between the two states without any preconditions. However, the Turkish authorities undermined the process of ratification of the Protocols, by putting forward preconditions related to the denial of Armenian Genocide and presenting pro-Azerbaijani claims with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. As a result, Turkey, in support for Azerbaijan, continues the blockade of Armenia and by its statements encourages Azerbaijan to further toughen its already destructive position in the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process. In its turn Azerbaijan more fiercely denies the reality of Armenian Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire. This is caused by the fact, that Azerbaijan is the inheritor of the Ottoman Empire’s genocidal policy against the Armenians, which was proven by the pogroms and ethnic cleansings against the Armenian population in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and in other places, committed in response to the will of Nagorno-Karabakh people to exercise their right to self-determination.

Within this context, it is not a coincidence that the Head of Azerbaijan declares the Armenians of the world as his country’s number one enemy, and glorifies and rewards the criminals who killed Armenians, as was the case with murderers who axed an Armenian officer in his sleep during NATO-sponsored training seminar in Budapest and beheaded captive Armenian soldiers during the April aggression.
The ratification of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols, along with the refusal to deny the Armenian Genocide was testing Turkey’s actual readiness to integrate into Europe and adopt the European system of values. It is not a coincidence that failure in this test overlapped with Turkey’s backtracking from the European path.

Question: What does the Genocide mean for the identity of Armenians (in Armenia as well as in the diaspora) today?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: One and a half million Armenians became victims of the Armenian Genocide and hundred thousands of Armenians lost their homeland, spreading all over the world. And there is almost no Armenian who has not been affected by the Genocide. And the pain of Genocide grows deeper as we are still facing its denial.

The Armenian people, the survivor of the first Genocide of the 21st century, believes that the recognition and condemnation of genocides is not only an issue of restoration of justice towards the peoples who have undergone it, but also a necessity for the whole humanity, aimed at the prevention of possible genocides in the future.

It is not a coincidence, that Armenia initiated the Genocide Prevention Resolution adopted by consensus in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, co-sponsored by more than seven dozen states, and on the proposals of which the UNGA declared the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. The Resolution considers attempts of denial and justification of the crime of genocide as major obstacle to the steps on genocide prevention.

The Global Forum “Against the Crime of Genocide”, launched within the framework of the commemoration of the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide and held on a regular basis in Yerevan, serves the same purpose and has transformed into a platform for exchanging views on the issue between genocide scholars and representatives of different states.

The Armenian nation, a survivor of genocide, and a witness of new attempts to commit genocide, as well as of new strategies of its denial, is confident that today, just like a century ago, the issue of prevention of crimes against humanity remains an imperative.

Question: Russia seems to be the protective power of Armenia. But at the same time Moscow promotes the armament of Azerbaijan. What role does Russia play concerning peace and stability in this area?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Let’s emphasize that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh first and foremost rely on their own abilities in defense and security issues. At the same time, Armenia considers the deepening cooperation with various countries and international institutions as a restraining factor against the attempts to undermine the regional stability. Armenia’s military-political cooperation with Russia servers the same purpose.

Russia traditionally considers the South Caucasus as a zone of its influence and tries to pursue a balanced policy with other regional states, stemming from its own interests. Its balanced policy is also rooted in its involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process as one of the three OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

It was the mediation of Russia that produced the trilateral agreement on armistice between Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, signed in May, 1994, which serves as a basis for peaceful negotiation process under the aegis of OSCE Minsk Group. The ceasefire was violated this April by the aggression unleashed against Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan. And again, with the mediation of Russia a verbal agreement was reached on April 5 to restore the ceasefire regime of 1994.

Question: What do you expect Europe to do for stability and self-determination of the Armenians?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: The Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, two Armenian states self- determined in 1991, highly value the stance of European countries on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh issue exclusively through peaceful means, and on preserving peace and stability in our region. At the same time it is important for the international community to make targeted statements on the escalation of the situation in the region, considering that Azerbaijan perceives the tolerant statements based on European system of values as a carte blanche for its intolerant politics. This perception was behind the recent large-scale aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh with the use of heavy weaponry, artillery and air force.

Europe can have its input in preventing Azerbaijan from withholding the agreements reached on May 16 in Vienna between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Those agreements propose the implementation of OSCE supported mechanism for investigating ceasefire violations along the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan and Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which will provide an opportunity to identify the initiator of each incident of ceasefire violation.

The implementation of this mechanism, as well as the expansion of the monitoring team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-In-Office and enhancement of its capacities will contribute to the strengthening of the ceasefire and prevention of new hostilities, which can create necessary conditions for the effective implementation of the negotiation process.

Question: What do you wish and hope for Pope Francis’ visit to Armenia?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: The visit of Pope Francis to Armenia has a pan-Christian importance, as it is the visit to the first Christian country.

The enthusiasm with which Armenian people expect the visit of the Pontifex is caused by the fact that on April 12, last year, during the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Catholic leader shared the pain of the Armenian nation and urged Turkey to face its history and pay tribute to the descendants of the Armenian Genocide.

This visit also creates an opportunity for our people in Armenia and Diaspora to express gratitude to Pope Francis for his principled stance on the Armenian Genocide, which was demonstrated before his election as a Pope.
At the same time, I avail myself of this opportunity to thank all the countries that recognized the Armenian Genocide and, specifically, Austria, the Parliament of which adopted a statement recognizing the Genocide on April 22, 2015, ahead of the Centenary.

Question: Could Pope, who will visit also Georgia and Azerbaijan in September, contribute to reconciliation between the neighboring powers?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Despite all the attempts of Azerbaijan to add religious dimension to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the escalation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, it is not the case. The essence of the issue is rooted in the right of the Nagorno-Karabakh people to self-determinate and decide their own destiny and future, and in the response of Azerbaijan manifested in violence, ethnic cleansings and large-scale war.

We believe that the Pope’s visit to Armenia and the upcoming visits to Georgia and Azerbaijan in September symbolize a message of tolerance and peace to the whole region.

THE WELCOMING REMARKS OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II,
CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS TO THE
PONTIFF, POPE FRANCIS OF ROME,
DURING THE HRASHAPAR (GLORIOUS GOD) WELCOMING SERVICE IN THE CATHEDRAL OF THE MOTHER SEE
(June 24, 2016, Holy Etchmiadzin)

Your Holiness, beloved brother in Christ,

We give glory and thanks to God, as we welcome you, and the delegation accompanying you today, with brotherly love and prayer in this holy cathedral, where the Only-Begotten Son descended. We are deeply touched that per Our invitation You have visited Armenia, to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. This ancient cathedral is the testimony of the covenant set between our people and God.  It is on this sacred site that Jesus Christ descended and with His venerable Holy Right Hand established Holy Etchmiadzin which is the Holy of Holies of the entire Armenian nation.

By divine providence, through the vision and zealous efforts of the second Enlightener of the Armenians, Catholicos Gregory; the lanterns of faith that were lit in the hearts of our people through the preaching of St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew, were renewed.

Since that day the light that is emanating from Holy Etchmiadzin binds our people with their history, sacred treasures and homeland – spread around Ark-bearing Mount Ararat.

We are immensely delighted that today in this holy cathedral of Etchmiadzin the prayers of the two pontiffs of the Sees of  St. Peter and Sts. Thaddeus and Bartholomew, are united in the glory of God, pleading peace for our faithful and for all the world, calling for a strong spirit of love and brotherhood and fruitful cooperation.

At this moment it is with warm feelings, that we remember the visit of St. John Paul II to Armenia in 2001, on the occasion of the 1700^th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the State religion in Armenia.

That was the first visit of a Pontiff of the See of St. Peter to our land, which became a new incentive for cooperation in the brotherly relationship between our Churches.

You also have made notable impact in strengthening the brotherly relationships between our Churches, by showing particular kindness towards the Armenian Church and our people on various occasions throughout your ministry.

The visit of Your Holiness is a renewed testament to the brotherly relationships and collaboration of our Churches and is mutually empowering for the faithful of both the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. Your visit also fills us with optimism that our testimonies of faith, reinforced with Christian love, will be felt more strongly in our lives.

Our people remember with gratitude your solemn Mass celebrated in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Basilica of St. Peter, with your historic sermon condemning the genocide.

We give thanks to God that today together with Your Holiness, the sons and daughters of the Catholic Church, with our faithful Armenians, including those who have come to Armenia on the occasion of Your visit, can pray and beseech the intercession of the canonized martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, whose bloodshed is a testimonial of victory not only for the Armenians but also for the Christian faith as a whole. As the apostle says, abundance of grace is multiplied through the Glory of God by the thankfulness of many, (2 Corinthians 4:15).

After the destruction caused by the Armenian Genocide and the Godless years of the Soviet era, our church is living a new spiritual awakening by freely realizing the Christ-bestowed mission in the lives of our people in conditions of independent statehood in our Homeland. Our church is also engaging in a greater participation in the life of pan-Christian relations, strongly believing that at a time when the world is filled with deepening spiritual, political, economic, and humanitarian crisis, it is important more than ever for the Sister Churches to jointly pray and cooperate for the fruitfulness of the mission of Christ’s holy Church, for keeping and cherishing Christian ethical values in the world, for strengthening love towards mankind, through which true results of security and prosperity can be actualized.

We extend our prayer for the stability and prosperity of the Holy Church of Christ, for the spread of the spirit of love and favor of our Lord, and for increasing peace and life in solidarity in the world.

We call on the Lord to support Your Holiness, and wish you a long and healthy reign, for the sake of prosperity of the Roman Catholic Church and for consolation of the faithful.

Welcome to the Biblical land of Armenia and to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Let the mercy, grace and blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ remain with us all, evermore. Amen.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan will sign for Manchester United next month, according to reports in Germany, the reports.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has emerged as one of Jose Mourinho’s top summer targets ahead of his first season in charge at Old Trafford.

United had a £18m bid rejected earlier in the summer and Starsport exclusively revealed on Wednesday that the Red Devils had upped their offer to £28m.

And German newspaper claim that a deal is likely to be completed in July.