Prayers for Peace and Unity

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Etchmiadzin. The very name “Etchmiadzin” means “The Place Where the Only Begotten Descended.” It recalls the sacred vision granted to St. Gregory the Illuminator, in which Christ Himself descended and pointed to the spot where the Altar of Light should be built. It was there that the foundation of our Mother See was laid—both physically and spiritually.

For over seventeen centuries, Holy Etchmiadzin has stood firm as the center of our faith and the foundation of our national identity. She has remained steadfast in the Apostolic tradition, guided by the divine authority entrusted to her by our Lord Jesus Christ, and passed down faithfully through generations of Catholicoi and saints.

In recent days, however, our Mother See has faced a moment of great challenge. Our homeland finds itself in an extraordinary and troubling situation, in which officers of the state have threatened to interfere with the independence of Holy Etchmiadzin, and have disparaged the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II.

In a statement on behalf of our Diocese last week, we affirmed our unwavering support for the spiritual leadership of His Holiness Karekin II and for the spiritual sovereignty of the Armenian Church. We also called upon all our people to seek unity and peace within the Church, within our nation, and within their own hearts.

This Sunday, our local churches across the Eastern Diocese—indeed, every Armenian Church in the world—will joyfully offer the special ceremony called the “Prayer for the Catholicos and the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin.” It is a time for the faithful to come together, to pray for our Church and for tranquility in Armenia’s public life.

Friends, the past weeks have been a time of urgency in the surrounding world, too, with the threat of war returning to the Middle East, mounting fears of an escalating conflict and loss of life, and public disorder erupting here at home.

Our prayers for a renewed spirit of peace and calm in all these matters are more important than ever before, and I ask our parishes and faithful to join their voices to our beneficent God this Sunday. May our Lord hear our prayers, and pour out His mercy upon our Church, our homeland, and our world.