Mikayel Minasyan: It's profound illusion to believe silence and oblivion can avert catastrophe

Former Armenian Ambassador to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan marked the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24. His full message is provided below.

“There is a Mother of God in Ischia who does not smile. She offers no consolation — she stands as a guardian.

In moments when hope waned, people did not turn to merciful Mary, but to the one who, staff in hand, rose as a bulwark against encroaching evil.

One hundred and eleven years after the Armenian Genocide, the danger has not receded into the past. It endures — concealed within the fading of memory and erosion of identity.

April 24 is not a day for lamentation, but a day of resolve. It is that same staff that shields our people — a stark reminder of what happens when we fall silent, when we forget, when we relinquish stewardship over our own fate.

It is a profound illusion to believe that silence and oblivion can avert catastrophe. Only recently, under the weight of collective silence, the Cathedral of Stepanakert dedicated to the Holy Mother of God was razed to the ground.

The time has come to lift our gaze toward the Mother of God who stands with a staff.”