Armenia Monastery Closes

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW216644103 BCX4"> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Some 1,700 years ago, Armenia became the very first nation in history to</span> <a href= "https://www.worldhistory.org/article/801/the-early-christianization-of-armenia/"> <span data-contrast="none">adopt Christianity</span></a> <span data-contrast="auto">as the official religion of the state. That long history is fast disappearing. A photo recently posted by the</span> <a href= "https://twitter.com/ChristianEmerg1/status/1712451183112057168"><span data-contrast="none"> Christian Emergency Alliance</span></a> <span data-contrast= "auto">records the last clergy of an ancient monastery, forced to flee from the Azeri advances, which are often accompanied by</span> <a href= "https://azeriwarcrimes.org/2021/01/11/destruction-of-crosses-and-desecration-of-churches/"> <span data-contrast="none">desecrations of Christian sites</span></a> <span data-contrast="auto">by Muslim soldiers.</span><span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">In ancient times, the Armenians endured a precarious existence, with Rome to the west and Persia to the east. Today, U.S. ally Turkey backs the Muslim Azeri while Moscow has been</span> <a href= "https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/17/world/armenia-russia-kremlin-us-intl/index.html"> <span data-contrast="none">an unreliable protector</span></a> <span data-contrast="auto">of Armenia.</span><span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Whatever the causes of this strife, an ancient Christian society sits on the edge of destruction, which means that our prayers and political actions cannot be constrained only by geopolitics. </span><span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Pray to God for our brothers and sisters, and appeal to our political representatives for their relie