Armenian section of Vatican Radio-Vatican News turns 60

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

As 2026 marks 95 years since the foundation of Vatican Radio, it also commemorates the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian section of Vatican Radio-Vatican News.

To celebrate this milestone, the Armenian section organized an Armenian music concert that was held at the Vatican on Thursday, May 28th.

“It is a joy to celebrate this 60th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian section,” said Andrea Tornielli, Editorial Director of the Dicastery for Communication, who pronounced his speech in Armenian and Italian.

“Christian identity has been a fundamental element in the history of your great people, who have experienced very troubled times, particularly at the beginning of the 20th century with the “Metz Yeghern,” and again in more recent times. Today we are called, also through the work of the Armenian section, to be a bridge of peace and dialogue with everyone.”

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Vatican Radio launched its Armenian section on May 29, 1966, thanks to Armenian Cardinal Gregorio Pietro XV Agagianian, today a Servant of God. Armenian is one of 57 languages in which Vatican Radio-Vatican News offers coverage of the Pope, the Vatican, the Church and more.

The concert featured Armenian music ranging from the 1700s to the late 1900s and was performed by a group of Italian musicians, led by a Georgian-Armenian flautist, Veronika Khizanishvili. Accompanying the flute were a harp and a string quartet.

A credible and authoritative voice in a world of disinformation

Several representatives of the Armenian Catholic Church and Vatican Dicasteries were present at the concert and gave speeches.

“Know that your work is invaluable” especially “in a world where information is sometimes subject to manipulation, where disinformation has become a weapon used to destroy others, where the shouts of a powerful few drown out the whispers of millions of others,” emphasized the Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church, Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, who also sponsored the event, in a message read out by Monsignor Khatscig Kuyoumdjian, Rector of the Pontifical Armenian College. 

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“The credible and authoritative voice of Vatican Radio – Vatican News continues to be a beacon and a guarantee that conveys the Gospel message, speaking of peace, speaking of social justice, speaking of fraternity and sharing, speaking of Gospel love.”

A bridge of communion

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, highlighted in a message read out by the Secretary of the Dicastery, Archbishop Michel Jalakh, how the Armenian section has “served as a bridge of communion, brotherhood, and evangelical witness, keeping alive—even through the trials of history—the spiritual conscience of a people deeply rooted in the Christian faith.”

Cardinal Gugerotti thanked all those who have worked in the Armenian section and extended a special thought to the listeners “whose faces and names may often be unknown to us, but who are deeply present in the heart of the Church.”

“They are the true recipients of this mission of communication, through which they have been able to feel united with the Holy See and the Successor of Peter,” he continued.

Robert Attarian, head of the Armenian section, during the event {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","contentUrl": "https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/multimedia/2026/maggio/29/2026.05.28-60-anni-Radio-Vaticana-Armena-B-34.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg","creditText": "Vatican News","height": "750","width": "422"} A section in service to their people

Massimiliano Menichetti, Deputy Editorial Director and head of Vatican Radio – Vatican News, also highlighted how the Armenian section has helped to make known “the reality, the heart, the strength and the resilience of the Armenian population” and has contributed to building a work community centered on solidarity and fraternity.

Father Federico Lombardi, former director of Vatican Radio and of the Holy See Press Office, instead highlighted the importance of having an Armenian section and a radio program that spoke to the predominantly Christian population in the country.

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“It wasn’t just any service, but one that the Armenian people particularly appreciated—at least that was my impression—and that was therefore generally loved and respected by everyone,” he said

Lastly, the head of the Armenian section, Robert Attarian, also expressed his gratitude for the 60 years of work. He also remembered and thanked his current colleagues and the heads of the section that preceded him, especially Michel Jeangey, who passed away exactly 10 years ago.  

Turning to the future of the Armenian section, Attarian concluded, “we will continue to announce the truth without fear.”

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