When the choice was made to go to Armenia to prepare the handout for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity , we did not think that the situation in the country could become so complex and that, rather than the unity of Christians, we should think first of all about the unity of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Because the Eastern Orthodox Church, perhaps closest to Rome, pre -Chalcedonian because it could not participate in the Council of Chalcedon and therefore did not adhere to the conclusions of the Council, but not for real theological reasons, is also the Church of the first State to proclaim itself Christian in the world, and has been living since January 4 in a surreal situation, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced a reform of the Armenian Apostolic Church, gaining the support of ten bishops and effectively continuing the incrimination of members of the Church that led to the arrests of six bishops in recent months.
Pashinyan , who has been to the Vatican twice in recent months seeking photo opportunities with the Pope, has thus brought the conflict with the local Church to such an exasperation that it has now reached the point of internal schism.
The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 is taken from the Letter to the Ephesians: ” There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope” ( Eph 4:4). When the decision was made to go to Armenia to prepare the resource, the situation was complex from a regional perspective, but less complex from an internal unity perspective. The painful peace reached with Azerbaijan, which gave Baku control of Nagorno-Karabakh and the region’s Christian heritage, which has long been denounced as being at risk (but Baku has always noted that it restores local churches in the territories under its control, and does not want to destroy them, and has denounced, for its part, that the Armenians have destroyed some Muslim remains) is now compounded by an even more complex internal situation , which is leading, on the one hand, to the creation of a state Church, and, on the other, to a possible schism that can only make it even more difficult for Christians in the area to defend their heritage and their faith.
The texts of the aid written in Armenia were published in July 2025 , so that everyone could take note of them, adapt them, and refine them according to their local situations. The texts were prepared at a meeting held from October 13 to 18, 2024, during which all the editors gathered at the Holy See in Etchmiadzin to finalize the material. Of course, not all historical developments could be known when looking to Armenia for prayer texts . In addition to the working group of the Armenian Apostolic Church, an international team jointly appointed by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches also collaborated in drafting the texts .
The material includes an introduction to the theme, an outline for an ecumenical celebration, and a selection of short readings and prayers for each day of the week. This content can be used in a variety of ways and is intended not only for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity but also throughout 2026.
The handout states that ” throughout Armenia’s turbulent history, the Armenian Apostolic Church has been crucial to the survival and resilience of its people. It has provided continuity and stability during persecution, forced migration, and genocide. During the Armenian Genocide of 1915, the Church became a refuge for those suffering, offering comfort and fostering hope for a brighter future. Each year, the Armenian Church commemorates this tragic event, honoring the memory of the martyrs and championing the need for their recognition and justice .”
And again: “ In modern Armenia, the Church continues to exert a significant influence on national life . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia experienced a religious revival, and the Armenian Apostolic Church regained its central role within society. Currently, the Church is actively involved in social, educational, and charitable initiatives, including addressing issues related to poverty, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, the Church supports Armenian diaspora communities, promoting unity and ensuring that Armenian traditions and faith remain alive and vital among Armenians around the world.”
These words seem to have even greater weight considering that on January 4, Prime Minister Pashnyan announced through his social media that “after hours of consideration, we have reached an agreement on the text of the prepared declaration regarding the process of reform of the Armenian Apostolic Church ”, obtaining among others the signatures of several archbishops:
Hovnan Derderian (primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America); Navasard Ktchoyan (vicar general of the Pontifical Diocese of Aratian );
Abraham Mkrtchyan (primate of the diocese of Vayots Dzor ); Arakel Karamyan (primate of the diocese of Kotayk ); Sion Adamian (primate of the diocese of Amavir ); Vazgen Mirzakhanian (primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Baltic States). The signatory bishops were: Anushavan Zhamkochyan (Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Yerevan State University); Vertanes Abrahamyan (primate of the diocese of Artsahk ); Artak Tigranyan (dean of the monasteries of the Holy See); Gevorg Saroyan (primate of the diocese of Masyatsotn ).
Three of them ( Hovnan , Navasard and Vertanes ) are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, the highest executive governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The text emphasizes “ the key role of the Armenian Apostolic Church ” in the development of society’s values, and expresses concern over “the failure of the de facto head of Our Armenian Apostolic Church and representatives of his closed circle,” condemning what it calls an “ unacceptable and uncanonical ” practice of involving the Church in politics.
The plan that is being asserted is that of an agenda of public reforms, the removal of the Catholicos through the retirement and election of a vicar of the Catholicos .
Holy See of Etchmiadzin responded to this statement on January 5 with a public statement emphasizing that “the actions taken by the head of the Armenian government, under the pretext of conforming the internal life of the Church to the canons and reforming it, constitute a violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and infringe on the rights of the Church enshrined in both international law and Armenian legislation.”
The Holy See of Etchmiadzin also complained that “the involvement of bishops in such anti-ecclesiastical processes, as well as the pressure exerted on the priestly order, are fully condemnable. Issues concerning the life of the Church must be discussed exclusively within the competent ecclesiastical bodies and in accordance with canonical norms,” and that the ten signatory bishops did not wish to engage in dialogue with the Catholicos . Furthermore, the Holy See of Etchmiadzin He emphasized that “issues of canonical order and Church reform do not fall within the competence of any self-proclaimed council, but rather within the competence of the Hierarchy of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and its highest structures.”
On January 6, the Christmas of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Pashinyan went to the Mother See, and made a statement rejecting the idea that the government was acting against the Church .
Relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018, was initially neutral, but gradually deteriorated, becoming openly confrontational after Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 war with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. A serious strain in bilateral relations emerged when Karekin II, among others, called for Pashinyan’s resignation after the war, blaming his leadership for the defeat.
Recently, the Armenian government has arrested bishops and priests. For example, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was sentenced to two years in prison; Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan was arrested on June 25; Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan ( Karekin ‘s nephew ) was arrested on October 15; Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan (chancellor of Etchmiadzin ) was arrested on December 4. Samvel Karapetyan , a Russian-Armenian billionaire, was arrested on June 18 after making public statements in support of the Church.
These actions also violate religious freedom, the Armenian Constitution, and international law, as established by the European Court of Human Rights in Article 9 on the autonomy of religious organizations.
The Catholicos Karekin II visited Leo XIV on 16 September 2025 at Castel Gandolfo , when the situation was critical, but not so desperate.
In the statement released by the Armenian Apostolic Church after the visit, it was emphasized that Leo XIV and the Catholicos had a private conversation – the first personal one since Leo was elected Pope. The statement reads that Karekin “reflected with satisfaction on the fact that the fraternal bonds between the two Churches have been strengthened through cordial meetings and joint testimonies of faith, recalling the visit of Pope John Paul II of blessed memory to Armenia in 2001 and then, in 2016, the propitious occasion of hosting Pope Francis of blessed memory .”
Karekin also recalled the Divine Liturgy celebrated in St. Peter’s Cathedral in 2015 for the centenary of the Armenian Genocide and the proclamation of St. Gregory of Narek as a Doctor of the Church, and expressed his confidence that relations between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church will continue to develop in the same “fraternal and warm” spirit.
Etchmiadzin statement continued – then focused on the “ disasters and troubling challenges occurring in the world,” as well as “the challenges and trials facing Armenia and the Armenian people . ” Karekin brought to the Pope’s attention “the issues of the Armenians of Artsakh , displaced from their ancestral homeland, the imperative of preserving Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage in the face of the threat of destruction in Artsakh , and the release of prisoners of war and hostages.”
For years, Armenia has been complaining of an ongoing “cultural genocide” in Nagorno Karabakh, while Azerbaijan , for its part, complains that the Armenians have destroyed mosques that were present in the territory, in addition to claiming the presence of an Albanian Greek Catholic Church that predates the arrival of the Armenians.
The prayer aid written by an Armenian group therefore comes at a very significant time.
Traditionally, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is held between January 18 and 25, according to a proposal put forward in 1908 by Father Paul Watson, because the two dates symbolically include the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter and the Conversion of St. Paul . There have been several illustrious precedents, but it was only in 1968, with Paul VI and the ecumenical developments dictated by the Second Vatican Council, that the Week began to take on a specific theme and various activities, including the Pope’s presence for Vespers in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls , traditionally dedicated to ecumenical dialogue.
In 2020, the Community of Grandchamp drafted the prayer aid, while in 2019 it was the turn of an ecumenical group from Malta, in 2018 the Christians of Indonesia were entrusted with the task , and in 2016 the Christians of Latvia took care of it . In 2022, it was the turn of the Middle East Council of Churches , and in 2023 it was Minnesota .
For 2024, the subsidies have been prepared by an ecumenical team from Burkina Faso, composed of members of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou , Protestant Churches and the Chemin Community. Neuf of Burkina Faso – a community particularly active in the cause of Christian unity. In 2025, the prayers and reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were prepared by brothers and sisters of the monastic community of Bose , in northern Italy.