The 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was commemorated throughout the world. On the morning of Sunday, April 24, before a multitude of Armenians that marched from Bourj Hammoud to the Catholicosate, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I delivered his patriarchal message outside the Holy Martyr’s Chapel, in which he called for the unity of our nation as it faces existential threats.
“Our nation is in crisis.” His Holiness said. “The self-determination ofArtsakh is uncertain; Armenia’s territorial integrity and even independence are threatened; our demands are faced with serious challenges.”
The Catholicos said his statements were “not theoretical comments or emotional expressions of despair and pessimism, but they are realistic assessments dictated by the deeply disturbing state of Armenian life, about which we have no right to be indifferent and silent.”
He said it was “necessary to be alert and especially, unanimous, and to face with the utmost wisdom and vision the decisions and measures that are endangering the future of our homeland.”
The Catholicos urged Armenians to seek unity at this critical time in our history.
“We need to unite around the superior ideals, interests, and values of our nation and our homeland, whatever the reasons that have distanced us from each other and the dangers surrounding us,” he said. “The Armenian nation and Armenia are above everything.”
He said it was necessary to “unite the entire people and put its potential to work in every sphere, on the internal and external fronts, in the face of the challenges surrounding us, and around visions for the future.”