Holy and Immortal Divine Liturgy Celebrated at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
01.07.2025
On June 30, following the evening service, the Holy and Immortal Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Cathedral of the Descent of the Only-Begotten in the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The Liturgy was offered for the liberation of captives, the consolation of the suffering, and peace in the homeland.
The service was presided over by His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh.
Clergy of the Mother See, political and civil leaders of Artsakh from Artsakh, family members of Armenian hostages and captives unlawfully held in Azerbaijan, and numerous pilgrims were present for the sacred occasion.
In his sermon, dedicated to contemporary trials, Bishop Vrtanes placed special emphasis on the plight of compatriots still imprisoned.
“The millennia-old history of Christianity clearly shows that imprisonment, captivity, and suffering have invariably accompanied the path of truth, whether as just punishment or as a means to suppress truth. The apostles, their disciples, thousands of Christians, and ultimately Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself were imprisoned. As the Apostle Paul instructs in the Epistle to the Hebrews: ‘Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." (Hebrews 13:3).
A Christian must never forget that imprisonment and captivity are often the result of this world’s injustice, not justice—and that those who live in freedom bear no less spiritual and moral responsibility than their brothers behind bars," remarked Bishop Vrtanes.
Speaking about the unlawful detention in Azerbaijan of members of Artsakh’s military-political leadership, the Primate stressed that now, more than ever, the Armenian people need to awaken their national spirit and strengthen their spiritual consciousness, for the liberation of their compatriots.
“The enemy judges them not for crimes, but because their very existence testifies to Artsakh’s right to independence. We must clearly understand that anyone who has lived and acted for Artsakh today could find themselves in the place of these unlawfully imprisoned,” the bishop said, adding that the Armenian Church has repeatedly raised a just voice of protest on various international and interchurch platforms, demanding the release of captive compatriots.
"Saint Gregory the Illuminator, the father of our faith, spent thirteen years in the darkness of imprisonment in the pit of Khor Virap. Today marks the beginning of the fast that precedes the Feast of the Discovery of His Holy Relics. In these days, when we are blessed with the grace of participating daily in the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Descent of the Only-Begotten, we lift in prayer the names of our two spiritual brothers—Archbishops Mikael and Bagrat—as well as that of a great benefactor and devoted son of the Armenian Church, Mr. Samvel Karapetyan. We pray that truth and justice may prevail, and that they, strengthened by the grace of the Lord, may endure and overcome this time of great trial," said the bishop celebrating the Liturgy.
Addressing the faithful, His Grace Vrtanes called on all to reflect on whether they live according to the commandments of the Savior, whether they show love to their neighbors, and whether they remember in their prayers their imprisoned brothers.
The celebrant bishop emphasized that we can demand nothing from foreigners or foreign states if we ourselves fail to unite in the defense of the just rights of our suffering and persecuted Armenian brethren.
In conclusion, he called upon the faithful to stand in prayerful solidarity with all who are afflicted or held captive, and with their families—to set aside internal divisions and work earnestly toward the restoration of national unity.
