Faith and freedom

The following remarks were delivered by ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian at the 30th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia. The event was held in New York on Nov. 16, 2025. Two words: Faith and freedom. Belief and belonging — spiritual and civilizational. Salvation — at the hand of God; Security — at the table of nations; Aligning our higher calling with our earthly mission. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Yegheetsi gamk ko, vorbes hergeens ev hergree. Faith and freedom: Twin pillars of the Armenian nation. Our church, the soul of our nation; The nation, the body of our church. The body of Christ, among the Armenian faithful. First Corinthians 12:26 teaches us: "Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.” We have today our share of suffering — and are called — here on Earth — to strive for the: Release of Armenian hostages. Return of Artsakh refugees. End of Azerbaijani occupation. Protection of Christian churches. And now, the defense of our church. Now, I never attended seminary and I’m surely no theologian, but I did serve as a Sunday school teacher at Soorp Khatch — where I taught my students that two of the apostles chosen by Jesus Christ — Thaddeus and Bartholomew — preached in Armenia, and established there an apostolic line of succession that has endured for 2000 years: that exists until this very day. And yet, there is today a false claim of secular authority over our spiritual connection to the disciples — to Christ, our savior. Today, many in Armenia are in jail for calling out this offense against apostolic succession, the very sovereignty of our church. We witnessed a prayer breakfast hosted in Yerevan this past week — not to celebrate global solidarity in an early cradle of Christianity, but rather, as cover for the Pashinyan government’s toxic attacks on the Armenian church. That we cannot abide. We must — at this crucial moment — set aside our political rhetoric, our diplomatic discourse and speak in a prophetic voice. I quote an American prophet, Fredrick Douglass, who said in 1852: "It is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” We must speak in bold strokes. Act in decisive terms. In language worthy of our past, in the spirit of Khrimian Hyrig. In actions worthy of our future, in the service of generations yet unborn. Justice — as His Holiness Aram Vehapar has so eloquently stated — is both a spiritual value and our sacred duty. It is in this spirit — knowing fully well the depth of faith that animates the Catholicosate of Cilicia and our entire nation — that I assure you, our church will have the final word. Not those, foreign or domestic, who are today attacking us. On this, I will quote Matthew 18:7: "Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!" Never has this been more true than today. Driving here today, across Maryland’s John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, I was reminded of the last words of our late president’s inaugural address — words with which I will close: "Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.”

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Aram Hamparian

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