Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II delivered a message on the occasion of New Year and Armenian Christmas. The message reads as follows:

"My Dear Pious People:

On this New Year’s Eve, we convey our fatherly love and blessing to faithful in the homeland and [Armenian] diaspora.

We welcome 2025 as a redeeming year. In spite of lingering concerns and worries in our lives, we enter the year with optimism and good expectations. The hopeful feelings of the New Year are manifested in our families, our churches, our places of service—in every place where we stand united by warm wishes for one another.

The New Year is an occasion for self-examination, to reflect on issues of concern to our national and domestic life. It is an invitation to renew our minds, to contemplate the future, and to resolve to make life better, safer, more secure..

“Be renewed in your mind and spirit,” the Apostle Paul said, “and put on the New Man created by God in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:23-24). By heeding this Scriptural exhortation, my dear ones, we can face even the hardest, seemingly impossible situations. We can find the strength to overcome adversity through united effort; to turn trial into experience; to transform failure into achievement; and to build a bright, new day. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” the Apostle assures us (Philippians 4:13); and encouraged by this conviction—which has nourished us throughout history—we will unite in a constructive spirit to strengthen our homeland and realize our national aspirations. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (II Corinthians 4:8-9)

Today, we must remain firm in the face of the challenges before us, and not be tempted to settle our present difficulties at the cost of our sacred values and traditional way of life. Instead, let us be unstinting in our loyalty to our historic identity—which is essential for nourishing the consciousness of new generations, fortifying the credibility of our state and people, and defending our national rights. In this way, I believe, our history will be blessed with a new ascendancy. In our aspirations for a bright future, let us arm ourselves with hope and faith; let us trust in God, and undertake our individual missions for the benefit of our collective well-being. Let us move together towards a renewed reality, where honesty, solidarity, respect for law, and a patriotic spirit prevail; where our priorities include a strong nation, safe and dignified life for our people, and the protection of the inalienable rights of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] and Armenia. Under this vision, let us choose to walk together on the path of love and unity.

My dear faithful people, on this eve of a New Year, let us pray to God for our homeland; for the Armenian armed forces; for the people of Artsakh who have been violently exiled from their homes; for the sick and deprived; for the families who mourn the loss of martyred children, and for those who live with the pain of missing loved ones. Let us also pray for our sisters and brothers across the world who endure the devastating consequences of war. Let us pray for peace for our homeland, our people, and the entire world. May the Lord be the helper and defender of our nation, leading us to a bright, new horizon.

A happy New Year to you all—and may it be a good and blessed year."