CHURCH

Christmas in Armenia amidst fear and hope

In the heart of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range, Armenia celebrates the Christmas season amid the dying embers of a challenging year. The Sisters of the Armenian Congregation of the Immaculate Conception in Gyumri, near the Turkish border, are working hard to bring comfort to children displaced by the war.

By Marine Henriot

Christmas festivities in Armenia span from December 25 for the Catholic Church to January 6 for the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Pope Francis recalled the suffering of those displaced by the war in Nagorno Karabakh during his Urbi and Orbi blessing on 25 December as he implored peace and fraternity:

"May the day of definitive peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan draw near. May it be advanced by the pursuit of humanitarian initiatives, by the return of refugees to their homes in legality and security, and by reciprocal respect for religious traditions and the places of worship of each community “.

This message serves as an underlying roadmap for the survival of Armenia, the world's first Christian state, that finds itself celebrating Christmas celebrations at the end of another challenging year.

Engaged in a territorial conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region for decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought several wars, one between 1988 and 1994 and another in the fall of 2020. In September 2023, after a swift offensive launched by Azerbaijan, the region officially returned to Baku's control. Following this 24-hour military operation, Baku authorities also arrested several representatives, and almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 100,000 out of 120,000 registered citizens, fled to Armenia.

Celebrations at the orphanage

Gyumri, the country's second-largest city, is located close to Armenia’s northwestern border with Turkey. It’s where three nuns from the Armenian Congregation of the Immaculate Conception run an orphanage that hosts about thirty children. The Christmas celebrations are an opportunity to bring some relief to the orphanage’s young residents, many of whom come from Nagorno Karabakh.

"We create nativity scenes, organize meals, organize parties; it's a celebration," said Sister Nariné, who spoke to Vatican Radio while in the midst of preparations for a day in which more than 300 people were expected, including former residents and their families.

The children, she explained, often celebrate Christmas twice: on December 25 and on January 6. "It poses no problem with the families," Sister Nariné added, highlighting an excellent relationship and understanding among the different religious rites.

"We fear another war in Armenia; we are not accustomed to living in peace," the nun lamented.

In the orphanage, she continued, psychologists provide support to displaced children because in Gyumri, even though it is geographically distant from Nagorno Karabakh, the war is omnipresent.

"We can see soldiers in the city and families from Nagorno Karabakh. We would like the children to forget this war, but it's not easy," she said.

“We would like the children to forget this war, but it's not easy.”

Hopes for 2024

After the defeat in September, the Armenian authorities of Nagorno Karabakh agreed to dissolve on January 1, 2024. In a recent development, on December 22, the leader of the Armenians announced his previous decree ordering the dissolution of its institutions was not valid.

Despite some positive signals such as the promise of Yerevan and Baku to "normalize" their relations, observers remain sceptical about the signing of a peace agreement between the two neighbours.

Together with the children in Gyumri, Sister Nariné has only one wish for 2024: "Above all, we want peace. Everyone wants peace. We pray."