Background:
This interview is conducted with His Holiness Karekin I, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. Throughout the interview, he discusses issues regarding the situation and views of Armenians after late incidents in Azerbaijan, in Nagorno Karabakh that witnessed the conflict between Armenians and Azeris in which about 30,000 people lost their lives which reminded the Armenians of the genocide. He also discusses the role of the churches and what should be done to improve the relationship between different churches.
Due to decades of Soviet rule a large part of the Armenian population is no longer religious. The Patriarch spoke about efforts to bring Armenian faith back to the Armenian people. H.H. Karekin I was not happy with Western Evangelical missionaries coming to Armenian churches making an effort to uproot people from their Armenian roots
Side A:
His Holiness Karekin I stresses that the people should be participants of the church and should not just be as spectators. The war around Nagorno Karabakh made the people question who would give them the guarantee to autonomy in the sense of independent actions. Patriarch Karekin says that Armenians have the feeling of genocide close to them due to recent similar incidents. The genocide memory is not erased from the Armenian's memories.
Azerbaijan, due to national prestige, does not want to let go of Nagorno Karabakh which is controlled and mainly inhabited by Armenians and is a part and parcel of Armenian history. He also stressed that the sense of belonging is very strong to Armenians unlike to the people of Azerbaijan.
Side B:
Furthermore, he discusses the level of aggressiveness that some people impose on others. H.H Karekin I gives an example of a woman who went to light a candle in the church and another woman attacked her and accused her of being a pagan as it is not mentioned in the gospel as a practice by Christians. This aggressiveness created problems among the people, because everyone has his own beliefs and should not be punished for them.
He points out his visit to the Vatican to strengthen the relationship and fellowship between the two churches. The obligation of the Church at large including Protestant, Orthodox, Armenian, to discuss the challenges in the world that is becoming more and more secularized. Dialogue among them should not be confined to dogmatic issues, for example the matter of morality and topics as abortion. The world does not see the church as a unified body, and it does not have a positive role. He mentions that there is a theological problem, how to relate to the earth, and the understanding of life and God. Subjected to consumer society abuses, the Christian world is puzzled; sacrality and secularism and the problem between them should be settled. Why was the home reflection of the church and should always be like that. When asked whether the government helps them or set any obstacles, he mentions that it is willing to help.
