TCA Issues Appeal to Catholicoi on Azerbaijani Monument Destruction

Taking into consideration that the Armenian spiritual heritage is the target of today’s challenge, the responsibility of initiating the campaign necessarily falls on the shoulders of our spiritual leaders. Just as we welcomed the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Pope in the Vatican in 2015 with the spirit of national unity, it is expected that you initiate the current struggle for survival with the same exemplary unity.

You, as wise spiritual leaders of the Armenians, can naturally come up with a special road map. Below, we humbly present our suggestions that can be implemented in support of your decisions:

1) Release a joint declaration, creating a pressing atmosphere on the issue among Armenians around the world, as well as within the international community, including in your campaign the leaders of the Catholic Armenians as well as the Armenian Evangelical Church.

2) Armed with serious historical information, personally appear before UNESCO, giving a warning to the international press and revealing the reality and the scope of the danger.

3) Simultaneously, apply to the World Council of Churches, the Pope in Rome, and other world religious authorities, providing them with scholarly documentation, maps, and historical evidence.

4) Instruct all the dioceses under your jurisdiction to alert their own communities first and then turn to sister communities to obtain support. It is clear that not every diocese and parish has the opportunity to prepare documents and reasoning at the scholarly level. Therefore, as initiating patriarchs, the scholarly bodies of your sees can provide the above data.