Document
Your Holiness,
Your Eminences,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the Armenian Church,
Representatives of the international community,
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
It is with profound reverence and an unwavering sense of responsibility that I stand before you today, on behalf of the World Council of Churches, at this urgent and vital international gathering. We are not here by coincidence. We are not here as bystanders. We are here in direct response to a call—a call issued by the Armenian Church, and a cry rising from the very soul of the Armenian people. A cry for justice. A cry for memory. A cry for the protection of what is sacred.
This conference, hosted here in Bern, is not the beginning of our journey. Our path here began much earlier. It began in the hearts of those displaced from their ancestral homes in Artsakh. It began in the ruins of churches in Shushi, in the shattered headstones of Armenian cemeteries, in the silenced bells of Armenian Churches. And for us, as the WCC, it began in September 2023, when we walked through the Lachin Corridor, witnessing not only the physical scars of conflict but the spiritual anguish of a people uprooted.
There, at the very edge of survival and memory, we met the remnants of a displaced nation—mothers, priests, elders, children—holding on to faith, to culture, to their centuries-old Christian identity. That visit was not a mission of observation; it was a mission of witness. We heard the voices of those who had been silenced. We stood in prayer on soil that had been rendered forbidden. And we carried with us the responsibility to speak when others chose silence.
The Reference Framework of this Conference
Our time together is rooted in a strong ethical and spiritual foundation: solidarity among churches, the defense of human rights, and the urgent imperative of interreligious and intercultural dialogue. As the WCC, we reaffirm our deep commitment to these principles. The destruction of Armenian sacred heritage is not only an attack on history, but on religious freedom, on human dignity, and on the values that bind humanity across traditions. This conference is an act of moral resistance and spiritual solidarity.
Why Are We Here? What Do We Seek to Achieve?
This conference is built upon clear and compelling objectives:
- To raise awareness: The world has largely looked away as more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians were forcibly displaced from Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh. The destruction of churches, monasteries, cemeteries, schools, and sacred places is not merely an affront to heritage—it is a spiritual violence. We must bring this into full view.
- To advocate for accountability: Governments, institutions, and international organisations must be held to their responsibilities. Cultural and religious heritage must not be seen as collateral in geopolitical conflicts. It is time to demand that UNESCO, the United Nations, and regional actors fulfil their mandates.
- To strategize action within the WCC and our fellowship: We must develop and implement clear, sustainable strategies to ensure that our member churches speak and act with one voice on this issue—not only in solidarity, but in sustained advocacy and moral leadership.
- To uphold our moral and theological obligation: What is happening in Artsakh is not only a political issue. It is a spiritual crisis. If we do not respond as churches, we fail in our witness.
This conference is thus not only a gathering of experts and observers. It is a council of conscience.
The Programme and Methodology
Over the course of the next two days, this conference will guide us through a comprehensive and thoughtful journey. From historical and political analyses to interfaith perspectives, legal frameworks, personal testimonies, and strategic recommendations—each session is designed not merely to inform, but to engage us all as active co-authors of justice.
Our methodology is dialogical, participatory, and reflective. You will hear keynote speeches and panel contributions. You will have the opportunity to intervene, to respond, and to shape the final outcome. Our moderators will facilitate honest, rigorous, and respectful discussions.
We will end with a drafting process of a collective statement, enriched by the voices of all participants. This is not an event with spectators. This is a process of communal discernment, and every voice matters.
What Do We Expect from You?
We invite you to be more than listeners. We invite you to be witnesses and co-creators. Speak from your conscience. Share from your tradition. Listen deeply. Challenge constructively. Let this conference be a moment where collective moral clarity gives birth to action.
Your insights, recommendations, and solidarity will shape not only the statement we produce, but also the concrete commitments we will take forward—within churches, governments, international institutions, and communities.
Our Christian Responsibility: Bearing Witness to the Armenian People
As Christians, we are called to be witnesses to truth, to justice, and to peace. But witness is not passive. Witness requires standing where suffering occurs, naming evil, and protecting what is holy. The Armenian Apostolic Church has been the vessel of Armenian identity for centuries. In the face of genocide, persecution, and now displacement and heritage destruction, it has stood resilient. Today, it calls upon us.
To answer that call is not an act of charity. It is an act of faith. We respond not out of pity, but out of covenant. The pain of the Armenian people is our pain. Their memory is part of the collective memory of the Body of Christ.
Why This Matters for the WCC
As a global ecumenical fellowship of 352 member churches in over 120 countries, the WCC has a long history of accompanying churches and communities in their moments of trial. Our credibility as a moral and spiritual voice depends on our willingness to act when action is most difficult.
From the Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022 to the Central Committee in Geneva in 2023, and through the Executive Committee statement in Abuja in November 2023, we have continuously raised our voice:
- Calling on Azerbaijan to guarantee the security and equal rights of ethnic Armenians.
- Urging protection of cultural and religious heritage.
- Advocating for an independent UNESCO mission to document and protect sacred sites.
This is not just about preserving stone and scripture. It is about preserving the spiritual dignity of a people.
Why It Matters for the Armenian Church
The Armenian Church is not merely a religious institution. It is the spiritual backbone of a people whose faith has withstood genocide, exile, and oppression. Today, it bears a double burden: to care for its scattered flock and to protect its sacred legacy.
As we gather here, the Armenian Church needs our visible, vocal, and tangible solidarity. This conference is a powerful expression of that support. But it must not end here. The WCC pledges to stand with the Armenian Church in action, in prayer, and in every forum where justice can be demanded.
Where Is the International Community?
This is a question we must ask with painful honesty. Despite multiple reports, satellite evidence, and eyewitness testimony, the response has been muted. Too many have chosen political expediency over moral clarity. The mechanisms of accountability exist, but the will to implement them is weak.
The international community must understand that protecting religious and cultural heritage is not an optional gesture of goodwill. It is a legal and moral obligation.
In Closing: A Response Rooted in Faith
Let us be clear: this conference is not merely a symbolic gesture. It is a response to the call of the Church. It is a public and prophetic declaration that the destruction of identity, memory, and sacredness will not go unanswered.
We are here because we believe that peace cannot exist without justice. That justice cannot exist without memory. And that memory must be defended by those who call themselves followers of Christ.
May our work here today be not the conclusion, but the beginning of a renewed global commitment. A commitment to protect what is holy, to accompany those who suffer, and to ensure that the Armenian Christian heritage in Artsakh endures not only in memory, but in reality.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General Secretary, World Council of Churches
