The Relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and Other Christian Churches
RELIGION, 5 May 2025
Diran Noubar – TRANSCEND Media Service
A Focus on the Vatican, Azerbaijan, and Internal Armenian Tensions
2 May 2025 – The Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the oldest Christian institutions in the world, has a rich and complex history of interactions with other Christian denominations globally. Founded in 301 AD when Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion, the Church traces its origins to the missions of Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus, with St. Gregory the Illuminator as its first Catholicos. As part of the Oriental Orthodox family, it has maintained a distinct identity while engaging in ecumenical dialogues with various Christian bodies, notably the Roman Catholic Church and its seat at the Vatican. However, these relations, particularly with the Vatican, have recently come under scrutiny due to disturbing ties with Azerbaijan and its authoritarian leader, Ilham Aliyev, raising questions about the implications for Armenian Catholics, including the esteemed Mekhitarist Order of San Lazaro degli Armeni, and the role of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in exacerbating tensions with Catholicos Karekin II.
Historical Context of Armenian Apostolic Church Relations
The Armenian Apostolic Church has historically navigated a delicate balance between maintaining its autonomy and fostering relations with other Christian entities. Its divergence from the wider Christian world solidified after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, where it rejected the dual-nature Christology in favor of a miaphysite stance, aligning it with other Oriental Orthodox churches like the Coptic and Syriac Orthodox. This theological split distanced it from both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, though it did not preclude dialogue.
Relations with the Vatican have seen significant milestones over the centuries. During the Cilician Kingdom (12th-14th centuries), ties between the Armenian Church and Rome grew closer, influenced by the Crusades and mutual interests against Muslim powers. More recently, the 20th and 21st centuries marked a warming of relations, exemplified by visits from Catholicoi to the Vatican. For instance, in 1996, Catholicos Karekin I and Pope John Paul II signed a joint declaration affirming a shared faith in Christ, laying groundwork for deeper collaboration. Subsequent visits by Catholicos Karekin II to Popes Benedict XVI and Francis furthered this ecumenical spirit, often focusing on shared concerns like the Armenian Genocide and regional conflicts.
The Vatican’s Disturbing Ties with Azerbaijan and Aliyev
Despite these positive historical developments, recent geopolitical dynamics have cast a shadow over Vatican-Armenian relations, particularly due to the Holy See’s interactions with Azerbaijan under Ilham Aliyev’s regime. Azerbaijan, a predominantly Muslim country with a history of conflict with Armenia—most notably over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)—has cultivated ties with the Vatican that appear to contradict its aggressive stance toward Armenian Christians. Pope Francis’s diplomatic engagements with Azerbaijan, including his 2016 visit to Baku and subsequent meetings with Aliyev, have been framed as efforts to promote peace and interfaith dialogue. However, these interactions have raised eyebrows given Azerbaijan’s documented destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Artsakh following the 2020 war and the ethnic cleansing of its Armenian population in 2023.
Critics argue that the Vatican’s silence or muted response to Azerbaijan’s actions—such as the systematic demolition of churches and khachkars (Armenian cross-stones)—suggests a troubling prioritization of diplomatic relations with Baku over solidarity with the Armenian Church. Azerbaijan’s oil wealth and strategic position in the Caucasus have likely influenced this approach, with Aliyev leveraging his country’s resources to gain favor with Western institutions, including the Vatican. Reports of Vatican officials accepting invitations to Baku, coupled with a perceived reluctance to strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s aggression, have fueled speculation of economic or political incentives at play. This has deeply disturbed Armenian Christians, who see the Vatican’s stance as a betrayal of shared Christian values, especially given the Armenian Apostolic Church’s role as a guardian of national identity.
Consequences for Armenian Catholics and the Mekhitarist Order
The Vatican’s apparent alignment with Azerbaijan has had a profound impact on Armenian Catholics, a minority within Armenia and its diaspora who are in full communion with Rome. Numbering around 13,000 in Armenia according to the 2011 census, Armenian Catholics have historically faced tensions with the dominant Apostolic Church, yet they have contributed significantly to Armenian culture and scholarship. Among their most illustrious contributions is the Mekhitarist Order, founded in 1717 by Abbot Mekhitar of Sebaste and based on the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni in Venice. This monastic order has been a beacon of Armenian intellectual life, preserving manuscripts, publishing works in the Armenian language, and fostering education during centuries of statelessness.
However, the Vatican’s ties with Azerbaijan threaten the legacy of such institutions. The Mekhitarists, reliant on support from both the Armenian diaspora and Catholic networks, face a crisis of confidence as their spiritual leadership in Rome appears to waver on issues critical to Armenian survival. The destruction of Armenian Catholic villages and churches in Artsakh, coupled with the Vatican’s tepid response, has left these communities feeling abandoned. The order’s mission to safeguard Armenian heritage is undermined when the very power they align with seems complicit in its erasure, raising questions about the future of Armenian Catholic identity in a world where their protector prioritizes geopolitics over principle.
Pashinyan, Karekin II, and Internal Armenian Strife
Adding complexity to this situation is the fractured relationship between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Catholicos Karekin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Since coming to power in 2018 via a popular revolution, Pashinyan has pursued a secular agenda, emphasizing the separation of church and state as enshrined in Armenia’s constitution. His policies, including negotiations with Azerbaijan that many Armenians view as concessions, have put him at odds with Karekin II, who has vocally criticized the government’s handling of the Artsakh conflict and its aftermath. This rift peaked in 2020-2023, as Karekin II called for national unity and resistance against Azerbaijan, while Pashinyan faced accusations of capitulation following Armenia’s defeat in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Pashinyan’s strained ties with Karekin II may have indirectly influenced the Vatican’s approach. By weakening the Apostolic Church’s domestic influence, Pashinyan has created a vacuum that external actors, including the Vatican and Azerbaijan, can exploit. His reluctance to align closely with Karekin II has left the Armenian Church less able to present a united front in ecumenical discussions, potentially emboldening the Vatican to pursue its own interests with Azerbaijan without fear of coordinated Armenian resistance. Some speculate that Pashinyan’s secularism and pragmatic diplomacy—seen in his willingness to normalize relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan—may have signaled to the Vatican that Armenia’s traditional Christian leadership is no longer a decisive force, thus reducing pressure to prioritize Armenian concerns over Azerbaijani overtures.
Conclusion: A Call for Accountability
The relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and other Christian churches, particularly the Vatican, stand at a critical juncture. While historical ecumenism has fostered bridges, the Vatican’s troubling ties with Azerbaijan’s Aliyev regime have strained this relationship, with devastating consequences for Armenian Catholics, including intellectual giants like the Mekhitarists. Meanwhile, Pashinyan’s rift with Karekin II raises questions about his responsibility in weakening Armenia’s ability to counter these external pressures. As the Armenian Church continues to navigate its place in the global Christian landscape, the Vatican must be held accountable for its actions, and Pashinyan must reconsider the cost of his discord with Karekin II. For a people whose faith has sustained them through centuries of hardship, the stakes could not be higher.
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Diran Noubar, an Italian-Armenian born in France, has lived in 11 countries until he moved to Armenia. He is a world-renowned, critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker and war reporter. Starting in the early 2000’s in New York City, Diran produced and directed over 20 full-length documentary films. He is also a singer/songwriter and guitarist in his own band and runs a nonprofit charity organization, wearemenia.org.
Tags: Armenia, Armenian Cristians, Pope Francis, Vatican
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 5 May 2025.
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