New Year’s Message of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians (video)

Beloved faithful people,
On this deeply meaningful New Year’s Eve, from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, we send you Our Patriarchal love and blessing, heartfelt congratulations, and best wishes. On the threshold of the new year, we lift our prayers to the Almighty for peace throughout the world, peace in our Homeland, and peace among our people, who are experiencing unrest and anxiety.

The past year has been a time of troubling trials for our nation: divisions within society, manifestations of hatred and intolerance. Unfortunately, we enter the New Year under unsettled conditions, with the Church of Armenia and its clergy subjected to unjust persecution. Our clergy, a national benefactor, and devoted sons of Armenia remain unlawfully imprisoned.

The New Year, dear ones, is a call for renewal, to cast out from our lives all wrongful deeds, to correct sinful and destructive paths, to end betrayals, fraternal discord, and strife, and to eradicate criminal manifestations of hatred, intolerance, and lawlessness.

We are the people of God, and the Holy Scripture declares: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33). Heavenly graces, blessings, and peace shall abide with us and will not cease when we live in love, forgiveness, and harmony. Truly, God is revealed in peace and love, and genuine love and inner peace become a blessing both for each individual and for the nation.

A nation is strong, and the state unshakable, when sacred values, traditions, and the heritage of ancestors remain steadfast, when historical memory is preserved, and when the centuries-old mission of our Holy Church is not questioned. Those who sow discord against the Church provoke the rightful indignation of our faithful, both at home and in the diaspora; their actions have no justification and bring no benefit.

The Church is beyond time and belongs solely to Christ. The Apostolic Armenian Church with the Christ-established Holy Etchmiadzin, — a divine grace given to our people, selflessly serving the nation, building the Homeland, and preserving Armenian identity.”

Dear ones! In this momentous hour of the year’s end, we call upon you to steadfastly uphold the faith, to confront difficulties boldly and decisively. Let us not allow the trials of the passing year to harden our hearts, nor allow complacency and indifference to weaken our hope and national spirit. With tireless zeal, let us defend the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh and strive for the release of our compatriots subjected to inhumane treatment in Baku.
Let the love for the Homeland, for the people, and for the Mother Church be the axis of our lives, an inspiring force for courage and deeds, the meaning of every selfless endeavor. May an atmosphere of brotherly love, mutual respect, and support be established in our Homeland, in the life of our people, and in interpersonal relations.

We will overcome this difficult period with the light of our faith, unity, perseverance, and steadfastness, heeding the apostolic exhortation: “Be of the same mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11).

Let us raise prayers for the officers and soldiers of the Armenian Army, for the suffering and needy, for our sons held in captivity, missing, or unlawfully imprisoned, and for their families.

With trust in the Lord, let us look to the future with hope and faith in what is good, so that 2026 may become a year of new opportunities aimed at strengthening and consolidating our statehood, national identity, and spiritual life.

According to the apostolic teaching, let us walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness, and truth (Eph. 5:8–9).

May the love and grace of God always dwell in every home of our Homeland and in the hearts of our people.
May God be the helper and protector of our Homeland and our people throughout the world, now and forevermore.

Happy New Year!