AMID THE WORLD’S CHAOS, LET US NOT FORGET THE CHRISTIAN ARMENIANS

· April 14, 2025

The world is in chaos. It appears that there has been a retreat from long-standing commitments to peace, human rights, global humanitarian assistance, and sustainability. While the chaos seems intractable, there are individual crises that can be addressed effectively. This statement offers a way forward for the situation in Armenia.

The Armenian people of Artsakh – one of the world’s oldest indigenous Christian communities, whose tradition of self-governance dates to the Roman era – were subjected to a brutal and systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing at the hands of Azerbaijan and its accomplices in September 2023. This statement attempts to remind the churches, and all citizens of goodwill, of what is at stake in this ongoing, and neglected, conflict, and what can be done to ameliorate it.

The theft of territory, accompanied as it was by loss of life, it is easy to believe that the Armenian people, who have suffered an ongoing Azerbaijani assault on their religious freedom and cultural heritage, have been forgotten. Included among the recent and ongoing hostile actions are the unlawful imprisonment, and even torture, in Azerbaijan of Christian Armenians, and the continual threats across the border against nearby towns and the Christians who live there.

There is widespread fear among Armenians worldwide that Armenia, and thereby the Christian presence in the region, will be overcome, and indeed wiped out entirely. Azerbaijan has reverted to a relentless assault on Christian heritage through the desecration and demolition of sacred sites in a long-standing campaign of cultural genocide. This heinous destruction follows the pattern of the systematic obliteration of the Christian legacy of Nakhichevan in the 2000s, one of the most well-documented acts of state-sponsored cultural vandalism.

Last year, Azerbaijani authorities bulldozed the iconic Church of St. John (1818) in Artsakh’s City of Shushi (Shusha) and are actively working to undermine other Christian heritage sites of immense historical and spiritual significance. The following world Christian heritage sites in Artsakh face the gravest danger:

Monastery of Gandzasar and the Shrine of St. John the Baptist – A historic seat of a Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (1216-1238) is recognized as one of the finest examples of Armenian ecclesiastical architecture. The monastery fell under Azerbaijani occupation in September 2023.

Monastery of Dadivank – Housing the shrine of St. Dadi, a disciple of St. Thaddeus the Apostle, Dadivank is one of the largest monastic complexes of historic Armenia, built between the 9th and 13th centuries. The monastery fell under Azerbaijani occupation in September 2023.

Monastery of Amaras – Founded by St. Gregory the Illuminator, who baptized Armenia as the first Christian nation in 301 AD, Amaras is among the most ancient Christian sites in the world. Amaras also housed the first Armenian school where the Armenian alphabet was taught in 406 AD by its inventor, St. Mesrop Mashtots. The monastery fell under Azerbaijani occupation in September 2023.

Monastery of the Three Youths – A masterpiece of late medieval Armenian ecclesiastical heritage, which fell under Azerbaijani occupation in September 2023.

Cathedral of the Holy Savior in the City of Shushi – The largest historical Armenian Christian cathedral ever built (1868), the cathedral was severely damaged in drone attacks during the 2020 war. It fell under Azerbaijani occupation in November 2020 and has since been defaced under the pretext of “restoration.”

Monastery of Gtichavank – A 13th-century monastic complex located in Artsakh’s Hadrut district, which fell under Azerbaijani occupation in October 2020.

As this assault continues, along with the widespread trauma it has caused, the National Council of Churches calls upon the United States, and the international community, to recognize the plight of Mr. Ruben Vardanyan, a renowned humanitarian and Christian philanthropist and businessman, who briefly served as a former Prime Minister of Artsakh. Best known for founding the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity and for his financial support for the restoration of the 10th-century Monastery of Tatev in Armenia, Mr. Vardanyan was taken hostage by Azerbaijani autocratic authorities in 2023 and remains imprisoned on a hunger strike in Baku, where he and other Artsakh leaders are subjected to sham trials in dubious court proceedings.

By issuing this statement, the NCC stands witness to the documented Christian heritage of the Armenian people. If Azerbaijan succeeds in destroying that heritage, this statement will be a partial record that acknowledges specifics of what the world will have lost.

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA therefore solemnly appeal to religious and political leaders around the world to act now to preserve life and to safeguard the sacred churches of Artsakh as global treasures of historic Christian heritage. Their protection is a moral, historical, and cultural imperative. Furthermore, we urge the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian hostages, including Mr. Ruben Vardanyan and the imprisoned leadership of Artsakh.

Even as we watch the mounting chaos in all parts of the world, this is one conflict where it seems that the US, and the world community, can make a positive difference.