Karekin II Sends a Message

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, has sent a message on the occasion of Victory and Peace Day.

“With the inspiration of our victorious past, and with hopes for a bright future, but also with heavy feelings, we welcome today the Victory and Peace Day, a celebration of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the anniversary of the liberation of Shushi, and the establishment of the Artsakh Defense Army. This year, in a symbolic coincidence, our Apostolic Holy Church also celebrates the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the commemoration of the re-establishment of the Patriarchal See at Holy Etchmiadzin. The coincidence of these important national, state, and church holidays on May 9 completes the meaning of victory.

Today, our country and people are facing the gravest existential challenges. The Artsakh liberated at the cost of immense deprivation and sacrifices is occupied and depopulated, our holy sites and graves are abandoned and destroyed. The borders of Armenia are threatened, and the lives of our compatriots are under threat, our tranquility has been lost, and our national dignity is wounded.

Amid painful losses and bitter defeats, we once again turn to the Source of Life, to the Almighty God, who blessed us with the grace of life and eternity through millennia of trials and struggles, disasters, and calamities, inspiring us by saying, ‘Take heart, for I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33).

We are the heirs of a people who never lost faith in God in their fight against death and suffering, who remained faithful to their spiritual and national values, and who did not abandon their identity. We are the descendants of our heroic ancestors, whose glorious deeds have strengthened and illuminated the nation and the homeland, education, science, and culture.

To keep alive the sacred vision of revitalizing our homeland and restoring the Armenian statehood, our forefathers transferred the Armenian Patriarchal See from Sis to Holy Etchmiadzin in 1441. The Christ-founded Holy Etchmiadzin is the spiritual home of all Armenians, the forge of our independent statehood, the symbol of our victories and longevity, and the bearer and protector of our national pure identity.

The vision of Holy Etchmiadzin continues to remain the spiritual potential and source of victories. Victory over trials, victory in the struggle for identity and dignity, victory for fidelity to the homeland and sacred values. Our victories bear no stamp of hostility and hatred, nor do they bear malignant aspirations to debase the dignity of others, desecrate the sanctities, and annihilate identity. Our victories strengthen the will and determination to achieve peace, to safeguard our people, and to reaffirm the pan-national love and solidarity.

Dear pious people, our hearts are stirred by the same concerns and pains that disturb the souls of our global diaspora worried about our homeland’s grave challenges. In this anxiety, the participants of the civil movement ‘Tavush for the Homeland’ raise their voices of protest these days. Our wish is that a swift resolution be found to the ongoing problems, and that our people honorably overcome the calamities that have befallen us.

Therefore, let us arm ourselves with hope and optimism, let us not falter before difficulties, let us remember the feats of our ancestors, shake off the destructive feelings of fear and indifference, and be united and harmonious. Let us gather around the bright idea of Armenian independence, making the path of our people towards new horizons of our bright future unstoppable by God’s blessing. Let us pray together that God grants peace to the whole world, keeps our homeland and nation far from new losses and calamities, and, under the protection of His most gracious Holy Hand, bestows safe life and creative successes today and always. Amen,” the message reads.