VATICAN DIPLOMACY AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION: HOLY SEE'S RESPONSE TO ARMENIA 1918-1922

By Mario Carolla / Translated from the Italian by Cynthia Quilici

The fledgling republic of Armenia, born in 1918, in the wake of the Russian Revolution and the Armenian Genocide, was not a matter of little concern to the Vatican. While the fate of Armenians hung in the balance, Vatican representatives made great efforts to rally political and material support for the new republic. Despite differences with the Armenian Apostolic church, Vatican solidarity was humanitarian in nature towards a people beset by too many false friends and true enemies. Carolla's work, Vatican Diplomacy and the Armenian Question, gives a detailed account of the history of this period and introduces fascinating new sources that have not been consulted by historians before. He includes full transcripts and excellent translations of new documents from Vatican archives: the Secretariat of State, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and the Vatican Secret Archives. Carolla's pioneering work complements earlier studies of the Armenian republic of 1918 and is an invaluable addition to the history of this turbulent period.

Gomidas Institute (2010)