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Primate of the Eastern Diocese Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan sent a message to Diocesan leadership on September 13, calling for prayer and action in response to the attack on Armenia.

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A Message from Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan

Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America

A Time to Pray and Act

My Dear People:

We are all painfully aware that the early hours of September 13 witnessed a terrible turn of events in our homeland. That is when Azerbaijani forces began shelling the eastern part of the Republic of Armenia: an outrageous and unprovoked attack on the sovereign territory of our country.

At this writing, Armenia’s government reports that dozens of Armenians, including soldiers as well as civilians, have been killed in the attacks, with many more wounded.

International authorities have called for a halt to the aggression against our homeland. Among those calls is a statement from Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), an ecumenical group that had sent a delegation of church leaders to Armenia just before the hostilities began. One of the delegates on that mission is Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, our Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director, who informs us that he and his CMEP colleagues awoke on Tuesday to the reality that Armenia was under attack.

From Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, has issued an urgent message calling on the Armenian faithful to unify in this time of crisis. “Once again, our souls are shaken,” he writes. “We follow with pain and concern the provocative military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan at night along the border of Armenia. Peaceful settlements were shelled, resulting in victims and wounded. These conspiratorial actions, undertaken during a peace negotiation process, are reprehensible.”

He went on to appeal to Armenians throughout the world: “We are confident that the spirit of our people is strong; the soldiers guarding the borders of the homeland are courageous…. In the current crisis, we must not allow disunity and social polarization to lead us to new defeats: to a forced peace with new concessions. We must face this test with total unity and loyalty to our homeland.”

“Now, let us consolidate our capabilities and opportunities, all our national potential, and lend our support to the Armenian Army and to the needs of our homeland,” His Holiness wrote to his people. Later in the message, he appealed to world governments and sister churches to denounce the attack on Armenia, and help bring an end to the hostilities. As a Diocese, we stand with His Holiness in his plea.

Add Your Voice

My friends, today I write to you as your Primate, to assert that this is a moment for all Armenians to offer urgent prayers for the lives of our countrymen in Armenia and Artsakh, and for the safety and security of our homeland.

It is also a time for Armenians in the U.S. to call for decisive action from our elected representatives. Both the Armenian Assembly and the Armenian National Committee have been forceful in urging American authorities to denounce this latest outrage against our nation.

Please take the time to join your voice to this effort. By following the links below, you can send a message to your representatives in Congress to act swiftly and decisively in defense of Armenia.

Finally, I ask all of our clergy and faithful to join me in prayer to our merciful Lord Jesus Christ, asking him to place his protection over his devoted children in Armenia and Artsakh:

Lord, in this dark moment, please keep watch over your faithful people, and protect the holy soil of Artsakh and Armenia. Foil every aggressor against our homeland—now and always. Defend the innocent and voiceless, Lord. Console all those who grieve, and vindicate those who sacrifice their very lives in your Name. Deliver your faithful children from conflict, and bestow your peace on mankind. Amen.

Prayerfully,

Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan
Primate

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Click the links below to contact your Congressional representatives:

Armenian National Committee

https://marchtojustice.org/907-write/issue-form/0/0

Armenian Assembly

https://www.armenian-assembly.org/advocacy