As the Archbishop of Canterbury visits crisis-struck Armenia, the Catholic Bishops of Europe call for action to address the growing humanitarian emergency in the country, Vatican News reports.
“I come here to say you are not forgotten,” Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said as he arrived in Armenia on a two-day journey.
Speaking on Thursday to His Holiness Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Welby said: “Armenia was the first Christian kingdom. You were the first region to have the cross as your symbol. This is a symbol of weight, pain and struggle.”
“The last weeks have seen so many Armenians suffer deeply. I have been praying for you daily. I come here to say you are not forgotten.”
On the day Archbishop Welby began his visit to Armenia, the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, a Catholic grouping, released a statement echoing Pope Francis’ “repeated calls for a negotiated solution in the region.”
Noting that over 100 thousand Armenians have been displaced, they called on the international community to alleviate what they described as a “humanitarian emergency.”
Moreover, the bishops said, the exodus of the enclave’s Armenian population “is also endangering the Christian heritage of the region”, which must be “monitored” to prevent defacement.