H.E. Kevork Noradounguian, Ordinary Archbishop of Armenian Catholics of Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Eastern Europe, has expressed his deep indignation and anxiety about the academic conference held on the 10th of April, 2025, at the Papal Gregorian University of Rome on the topic: «Christianity in Azerbaijan. History and Modern Times». It was attempted simply to deny the Armenian identity of the Armenian religious and historical heritage of Artsakh and to violate the dignity of our ancient Armenian people. Even more, it was done in one of the educational alma maters of Christianity, enjoying international fame, which belongs to the Society of Jesus, and is located in one of the ancient cradles of Christianity-Rome. It is more than an arrogance and a serial expression of Azeri hate against Armenian people.

H.E. Noradounguian has written a letter to Fr. Arturo Sosa, General Superior of the Society of Jesus, in which he expressed his fears against the risk, that such highly qualified academic educational institutions can become cathedrals for falsification of history, where the voice of victims are silenced or violated, and the suffering of the Armenian people is ignored or exploited.

”My people”, wrote the Archbihsop, ‘’has suffered a ruthless displacement from Artsakh and a systematic extermination of the two-thousand-year presence of Christianity in Artsakh. Every word, that suppresses or exploits this reality, is a violation, which is crying loud to God”.

The Archbishop reminded the words of Pope Francis and St. Ignatius of Loyola, re-emphasizing that it is not acceptable to speak about any dialogue, while ignoring repressions, or educate on being rational, while refusing to admit the truth.

”The Jesuit Society has educated whole generations, planting in them the seeds of indisputable principles of freedom and conscience. Now, more than ever, the Jesuit Society is called to be a clear-minded leader, a prophetic voice and not a silent viewer’’, wrote the Archbishop to the Superior of the Jesuit Society and asked him to follow with the same scrupulosity of the renowned Society, that a thorough investigation of the reasons of that incident is carried out and to kindly answer to his letter. Because, as he insisted, the matter refers not only to the violation of the religious and cultural heritage of the Armenian people, but also to the violation against the spiritual essence and high reputation of a Society, which has been a cradle for many saints.

Archbishop Noradounguian is convinced, that the incident could not be willed by the Society of Jesus and, more surely, by the Holy See of Rome. As soon as we receive clear answers on the causes of the incident, the Secretariat will publish an additional communication.

Secretariat of the Ordinariate of Armenian Catholics