The Vatican’s Duty to Armenian Christians

Last month, in one of the first liturgical acts of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV formally took possession of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four major basilicas of Rome. The act had great symbolic importance, not only because it affirmed Leo’s pastoral authority as bishop of Rome. The Apostle Paul, whose evangelizing mission extended from Jerusalem to the Eastern Mediterranean and, ultimately, to Rome, is buried within the basilica, which has recently come to stand, in part, for the Catholic Church’s outreach to the wider Christian world, including the Christian East. Taking possession of the basilica thus had symbolic implications for ecumenism as well—of bridge-building between East and West.

Unfortunately, that symbolism has been complicated by a controversy that unfolded during the waning days of the last pontificate. The controversy relates to the funding of recent restoration work at St. Paul’s by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, a state-sponsored organization run by the ruling family of Azerbaijan. There is nothing necessarily troubling about such an arrangement. Rome’s ancient churches require constant maintenance, and the Holy See has long accepted donations from governments and private entities around the world. But in light of recent events in the Caucasus, the association with Azerbaijan has raised serious questions that touch on the credibility of the Catholic Church’s ecumenical witness.

The facts are, by now, well-known. In 2023, the government of Azerbaijan expelled 120,000 Armenian Christians from Nagorno-Karabakh, a region where Armenians have lived for millennia, with deep historical and religious significance to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Reports have documented the destruction or repurposing of Armenian churches, the removal of Armenian inscriptions, and the broader erasure of evidence of an Armenian Christian presence. Azerbaijan’s apparent goal is not merely to control the territory and ethnically cleanse its population, but to entirely rewrite the past.

In support of this goal, Azerbaijan has advanced a revisionist history of the Caucasus. According to this account, the centuries-old churches in Karabakh are not Armenian at all, but rather the artifacts of a Caucasian Albanian Church that disappeared in the eighth century. The Azeri government says it is restoring the churches to their rightful owners, the few thousand Azeris who claim to be the descendants of the long-lost Caucasian Albanians. 

These are such obvious fabrications that it’s hard to believe anyone takes them seriously—and probably no one does, including the Azeri government. But they provide cover for cultural erasure. As Alberto Fernández writes in the National Catholic Register, Azerbaijan employs the false narrative to portray itself in the West as the tolerant protector of Christians while simultaneously eliminating one of the world’s most ancient Christian communities.

The Azeri narrative, implausible as it is, was the central theme of a conference held in April at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome—a Jesuit institution formally affiliated with the Holy See. The event, titled “Christianity in Azerbaijan: History and Modernity,” was organized by Azerbaijani state actors. Reaction to the conference was swift and widespread. The Armenian Apostolic Church condemned the event in strong terms, accusing the Vatican of enabling the erasure of Armenian Christian identity. Scholars noted that the conference had been organized secretly and that experts who could have refuted Azerbaijan’s claims were not invited or even informed. Armenian scholars were simply excluded. “This event served not as an academic endeavor,” one group of scholars complained, “but as a platform for pseudo-scholarly revisionism.”

In the wake of the criticism, the university quickly issued a statement distancing itself from the proceedings. It had merely rented out the space, it said, and was not a sponsor or participant. Perhaps. But the Vatican itself was not entirely absent. Claudio Cardinal Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, sent a message that was read aloud at the event. In his letter, Gugerotti praised Azerbaijan as a “crossroads of peoples and faiths” and acknowledged a Christian tradition there “that has its roots in the era of Caucasian Albania.” He made no mention of the recent displacement of the Armenian Christian population, nor of the churches and monasteries now at risk.

Given Cardinal Gugerotti’s longstanding ties to the Caucasus—he previously served as papal nuncio there—the omission is difficult to explain. It is harder still to ignore the broader context. As Italian journalist Simone Zoppellaro has documented, the Azerbaijani government has contributed more than a million euros to support various Vatican restoration projects in recent years, including work on the Vatican Museums, the Apostolic Library, the Roman catacombs, and St. Peter’s Basilica. The financing of the St. Paul’s restoration is part of this larger pattern. Although the Holy See has not confirmed any quid pro quo, the circumstantial evidence of Azerbaijan’s so-called “caviar diplomacy” is difficult to dismiss.

In his brief time in office, Pope Leo has emphasized the importance of Christian unity, particularly between the Catholic Church and the churches of the Christian East. He has spoken movingly about the suffering of Eastern Christians—Orthodox and Catholic alike—and the need for solidarity in the face of persecution. Just last month, he specifically referred to the violence endured by the Christians of the Caucasus. 

But genuine ecumenism must be grounded in historical truth. For many Armenian Christians, the Vatican’s recent conduct has been deeply discouraging. The appearance of moral compromise—of rhetorical support and institutional prestige offered in exchange for financial gifts—undermines confidence in the Church’s commitment to ecumenism. At a time when Armenian Christians are facing the loss not only of land but of history itself, the actions of Rome have not gone unnoticed.

None of this can be laid at the door of Pope Leo, and an opportunity exists for the Vatican to set a different tone. A public acknowledgment of the suffering endured by Armenian Christians, a clear rejection of historical revisionism, and a commitment to safeguarding Armenian Christian heritage would be important steps. A papal visit to Etchmiadzin, the spiritual center of Armenian Christianity, would be more powerful still. In any case, for the sake of genuine unity between East and West, the Vatican should be more careful that its material partnerships do not obscure its Christian witness.