The Pope in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan: messenger of dialogue and peace in lands where Catholics are a minority

A borderland between the East and West where Catholics are a small minority and where dialogue is a necessity, in most cases an imperative. The Pope has chosen the Caucasus region between Asia and Europe, where this year he plans to make two trips: in Armenia June 24 to 26, and in Georgia and Azerbaijan from 30 September to 2 October. “The people, the faithful, the community. The population is looking forward to meeting His Holiness with feelings of joy and anticipation.” Monsignor Raphael Minassian, Ordinary for Catholic Armenians of Eastern Europe, described the reaction to the news of the Pope’s visit to Armenia. He is currently engaged in the preparations, which means that the Papal visit has entered a concrete phase.

Bishop Minassian began by mentioning the tensions that sparked off at the beginning of the month in the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, an extremely unstable area. The recent clashes have brought the clock of history back in time to 1994, when a ceasefire document was signed, putting an end to a conflict that claimed over 30 thousand lives and produced a million refugees. “We hope that this difficult situation will be overcome,” said bishop Minassian, excluding from the program the Pope’s visit to that region.

The Pope’s trip to Armenia came into being under the ecumenical banner of friendship and affection between Francis and Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The Holy Father will make visits planned by the Protocol accompanied by the Catholicos, and will be his guest at the Catholicate.

There are 160,000 Catholics in Armenia. The highlight of the papal visit will be the Mass on June 25 in Gumri, Armenia’s second largest city, the region where the majority of the Catholic community lives. The visit of Pope Francis – said the bishop – is “a blessing and an encouragement.” The entire population is looking forward to the Pope’s visit. They are also keen to express their appreciation to the Holy Father for having publically recognized the 20^th century Armenian genocide in 2015. “It’s a right that had been denied for a hundred years –Msgr. Minassian pointed out – which the Holy Father has given relevance to. We are grateful for this.”

In Georgia and Azerbaigian the Pope will be a “messenger of dialogue and peace.” Monsignor Giuseppe Pasotto, Apostolic Administrator of the Caucasus, described the “strengths” that will characterise the Pope’s visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan September 30 through October 2.

Statistical figures are extremely significant. There are over 300/400 Catholics in Azerbaijan divided into two communities: one represents foreigners working in the country, while the other Catholic community comprises the local population, marked by a strong number of Salesians. Azerbaijan (visited by John Paul II in 2002) is instead a country with a Muslim majority: 62% of inhabitants are Shiite Muslims; 26% Sunni and 12% are linked to the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. In Georgia – a country with an Orthodox majority – the Catholic presence is more consistent with 50 thousand faithful. “Hence these two States are characterised by entirely different situations,” the bishop pointed out. “However, in both Countries Catholics are a minority and the Catholic Church lives in close contact with majority religions and confessions. The Pope’s visit to these lands is particularly significant for at least two reasons. First of all, the Pope will be visiting two Countries (Armenia and Azerbaijan) in a state of conflict and it is to be hoped that the Nagorno-Karabash ceasefire agreement will continue to be respected. The Papal visit is significant also because Francis will be visiting a region of the Caucasus where even though Catholic communities are numerically small they have a great value, as relationships are established within diverse situations in line with what the Pope has indicated from the start.”