On 18-21 September, representatives of the Armenian Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Constantinople, leaders of Patriarchal Delegations and the Dioceses of Armenia and the Diaspora and mundane delegates, bishops within different structures of the Armenian Church and members of the Supreme Spiritual Council participated in the 5^th Diocesan Representative Assembly held under the direction of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

After the Assembly, the nearly 150 representatives of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church adopted a declaration, stating the following:

“We glorify and express satisfaction with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for providing us with the opportunity to come from the Hierarchical Sees, Dioceses and patriarchal delegations of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church at the spiritual center of all Armenians, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and to participate in the Fifth Diocesan Representative Assembly held under the direction of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as under the chairmanship of representative of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, His Eminence, Archbishop Aris Shirvanian and General Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, His Eminence, Archbishop Aram Ateshian.

Attaching great importance to the role of the diocesan representative assemblies in the regulation of administration and organization of the Armenian Church, discussions on the several challenges facing the Armenian Church and faithful Armenians and in providing solutions to the issues, we state with satisfaction the activities that the Assembly has carried out over the past years, particularly the development of the guiding statute for the Diocese of the Armenian Church, the drafting of a statute for the Diocesan Representative Assembly and coordination of different structures of the Assembly, as well as identification of the current issues in church life. For the record, we state that, alongside the achievements and developments in national and church life, there are also many challenges that we must overcome by our will and commitment.

As we approach the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, our Church will be classifying the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide as saints. At this historic milestone, we will continue to raise our voices so that more countries, particularly the Republic of Turkey and nations recognize and condemn the first Genocide of the 20^th century, preventing the repetition of such crimes against humanity. The year 1915 must make us Armenians come together, regardless of our views and status to reinforce the Homeland and help the lives of all Armenians flourish.

We are pleased to affirm that more and more Armenians are becoming active in church life in Armenia and the Diaspora. The active participation of the youth within different church structures is promising. At the same time, we express concern about the current problems and challenges, attaching importance to the preservation of the Armenian identity, knowledge of the Armenian language, the system of national and spiritual values and the full participation of Armenians in national and church life.

With a feeling of satisfaction we state that the Muron Blessing Ceremony will be held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on September 27, 2015. We are certain that this important event in national and church life will make us united and will convey spirit to all Armenians around the world.

Today, all Armenians are focused on the defense of the borders and bordering regions of Artsakh where the situation is still tense. Unfortunately, more Armenians were recently killed while defending the Homeland, but they showed the courage and unbreakable spirit of Armenian soldiers. We bow in memory of them, pray for their souls to rest in peace and express our support to their families and relatives with the conviction that they became eternal by sacrificing their lives for the Homeland and its bright future. We encourage our soldiers defending the borders of the homeland, wishing them strong willpower and military service in peace. We also express our support to the authorities for aspiring to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully, in spite of Azerbaijan’s provocations.

Today, we’re all still concerned about the state of war in Syria and Iraq and the difficult situation in countries of the Near East. We express deep condolences for the losses that the peoples of Syria and Iraq have suffered and for the destruction. As representatives of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, we will continue to show our support to the people of Syria and Iraq, our brothers and sisters to overcome the difficulties.

We’re also concerned about the situation in Ukraine and pray for the speedy solution to the issue with the spirit of mutual understanding. We pray for the establishment of peace and solidarity in the Near East and to see the Armenian communities of Syria, Iraq and Ukraine solve their problems and overcome their difficulties with faith and optimism.

By participating in the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of Armenia’s Independence Day at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, which has overcome numerous difficulties throughout the centuries, we show our dedication to the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to serve the nation and church better and carry out our mission. We also call on all Armenians to show active participation in nation-building, unite around the Holy Church, as well as be more active and preserve the Armenian identity in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora.

May God keep our nation and all nations of the world in peace, always and forever!”