Book launch: Preserving Armenian Heritage and Advancing Justice and Peace
The publication will be officially launched on 21 January 2026, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, for which the Armenian Churches have prepared the material.
World Council of Churches
The Armenian Heritage Conference, held in Bern from 27 to 28 May 2025, was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in collaboration with the Protestant Church in Switzerland, in response to the request of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin following the forced displacement of the Armenian population from Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh and the grave risks facing Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the region. For decades, the WCC has stood alongside the Armenian people and churches, advocating for accountability, human dignity, and a secure future grounded in justice and peace.
The Armenian Heritage Conference and its forthcoming publication reaffirm the shared responsibility of churches, international institutions, and civil society to protect cultural and religious heritage worldwide, to uphold the rights of displaced communities, and to work collectively toward justice, reconciliation, and lasting peace.
The publication that brings together the conference papers, expert contributions, and reflections. The volume will serve as a resource for churches, policymakers, academic institutions, and civil society actors engaged in the protection of cultural and religious heritage globally, as well as in the promotion of human rights and reconciliation.
An ecumenical prayer service will take place at the St Macabean Chapel of St Peter’s Cathedral in Geneva from 17:30 to 18:15, followed by the book launch at the International Museum of the Reformation from 18:30 to 19:30, with an aperitif.
