His Holiness Karekin II began this year’s solemn April 24 commemoration by visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Dzidzernagapert, to lay wreaths and offer prayers at the eternal flame.
Leading a delegation from the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians joined the great throng of fellow Armenians paying their respects on the occasion.
At Holy Etchmiadzin on the same day, Catholicos Karekin II presided over the Divine Liturgy at St. Gayane Monastery, marking the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. Bishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See, celebrated the liturgy. At its conclusion, relics of martyred Genocide saints were carried delicately among the public, so that the faithful could offer their veneration.
In a message to the public on the occasion, His Holiness lamented that “more than a century after the Genocide, and in the shadow of the Artsakh war, the challenges facing our country have not been eliminated.”
But he continued that: “In memory of our holy martyrs, it is our duty to unite; to protect the right of our Armenian brothers and sisters in Artsakh to live freely and independently; to prevent the barbaric destruction of Armenian spiritual and cultural treasures in territories under Azerbaijani control. It is our duty to pursue the universal recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, so that such a crime will never recur in the life of mankind.”
Read the whole message in English below. Click the links to view photos and watch a video clip of the Martyrs Day ceremonies.
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Message of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians
On Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
Dear Armenian People, in the Homeland and Diaspora:
Today, united in our sacred churches, we direct our eyes to the heights of Dzidzernagapert—to the khatchkars and monuments we have erected across the world—to pay homage to the holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. They fell victim to the genocidal plan of the Ottoman empire; they were driven to death and exiled from their native land. But they bravely bore witness to their ancestral faith: they did not forsake their Lord, nor their hopes for freedom and independence.
Under the watchful gaze of God, some among our massacred people found the will to re-establish an independent statehood in the small eastern part of our historical homeland. Others built a prosperous new life in countries that sheltered our children.
But even now, more than a century after the Genocide, and in the shadow of the Artsakh war, the challenges facing our country have not been eliminated. They include the geopolitical situation around our homeland; Azerbaijan’s aggressive and anti-Armenian policy; and threats to the safety and security of our patriotic people, especially in Artsakh.
In memory of our holy martyrs, it is our duty to unite; to protect the right of our Armenian brothers and sisters in Artsakh to live freely and independently; to prevent the barbaric destruction of Armenian spiritual and cultural treasures in territories under Azerbaijani control.
It is our duty to pursue the universal recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, so that such a crime will never recur in the life of mankind. It is our duty to ensure that justice is done to the victims of the Genocide, and to all peoples who have survived genocide. The commitment of religious and secular authorities, and all of us, must continue to be voiced on international platforms. Justice for our people in Artsakh is a necessity if we are to achieve a dignified life, and a bright future.
It is our prayer that the risen Lord, through the intercession of our holy martyrs, will grant peace to the whole world; security and prosperity to Armenia, Artsakh, and our people across the globe. May the mercy, blessing and care of God protect all of us, now and always. Amen.
Holy Etchmiadzin
April 24, 2022