FRIENDSHIP between the Church of England and the Armenian Church has a long history, the Archbishop of York said on Tuesday, but it amounts to a “mere moment” in comparison with the almost 2000-year-old history of Christianity in Armenia.
Archbishop Cottrell was speaking at the two-day Armenian Heritage Conference in Bern, which ended on Wednesday. The conference, which was hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Protestant Church in Switzerland, brought together lawyers, historians, politicians, faith leaders, and representatives from non-governmental organisations to discuss the protection of Armenian Christian heritage in Azerbaijan-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.
Ahead of the conference, the General Secretary of the WCC, the Revd Professor Jerry Pillay, spoke about the suffering of Armenians who had been displaced when Azerbaijani forces took over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“I remember vividly the pain, sadness, and sense of helplessness,” Professor Pillay, who was in Armenia when the attack came, said. He paid tribute to the Christians who had stood together “in solidarity and witness” (News, 22 September 2023).
In his address, Archbishop Cottrell described the “great history” of Christianity in Armenia: it became the state religion more than 1700 years ago, after being introduced to the country some time earlier — possibly by the apostles themselves.
The last three Archbishops of Canterbury all visited Armenia: Lord Carey in 1993, Lord Williams in 2007, and Archbishop Welby in 2023. During his visit, Archbishop Welby prayed at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan and met refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh (News, 13 October 2023).
The area, known to Armenians as Artsakh, contains many ancient churches and graveyards, and there is concern about their future under Azerbaijani rule. On Tuesday, Archbishop Cottrell said that he understood the concern about these monuments, and called for UNESCO to be granted access to ensure the safety of this heritage.
“Your churches and monasteries have witnessed to the truth of Christ throughout your history, and especially in times of terrible persecution. Your people’s memory, their family histories, are there in those precious sites. All should be concerned for the continued preservation of the history of the Armenian people,” he said.
The 1915 genocide, in which at least 700,000 — and possibly up to 1.2 million — Armenians were killed, was followed by 70 years of Soviet rule, during which religion was suppressed.
“I do not know how the Armenian people have found the astonishing resilience they have shown in such a long time of hardship and persecution. And, if I am tempted to wonder how they can go on, I know that the answer really lies, in the end, not in us, but in the Lord of Heaven and Earth, whose name we carry as Christians, and in whose light and love we live, and move, and have our being,” Archbishop Cottrell said.