The important message by the newly elected Pope and Vatican-Baku relations

The newly elected leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, has held his first meeting with representatives of the media. According to the BBC, the Pope has called for the release of imprisoned journalists who have been incarcerated “for seeking and reporting the truth.” The Pope also emphasized that freedom of the press must be protected, and that the suffering of imprisoned journalists is “a challenge to the conscience of nations and the international community.”

In Azerbaijan, a country building close relations with the Vatican, Leo XIV’s speech is unlikely to be widely covered, given the state of press freedom there. According to the report of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) for 2024, there were 13 imprisoned journalists in Azerbaijan. As of May 9, 2025, the update shows that the number has reached 25. The most recent detainees are independent journalists Ulviya Ali and Ahmad Mammadli.

Undoubtedly, the persecution of journalists by the Azerbaijani regime is political. Among those imprisoned is researcher and columnist Bahruz Samadov, who has been charged with treason. He had dared to criticize Azerbaijan’s expansionist and aggressive policy toward Armenia.

Journalists are not the only group being persecuted in Azerbaijan. Unlawful persecution of ethnic minorities, such as Talysh activists, and Shia believers is also common. International organizations and various advocacy groups usually focus on these groups, along with human rights defenders and civil society activists.

At present, a fabricated trial is underway in Baku against around two dozen Armenian hostages and detainees. Numerous organizations and political figures, including the European Parliament, have called for their release. It is essential that international organizations also turn their attention to this process.

In recent years, Baku has been actively working to deepen its relations with the Vatican, and one of its goals is to promote the image of Azerbaijan as a tolerant country and to present the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh as Caucasian Albanian. The Gegard Foundation has regularly addressed these issues.

We hope that the newly elected Pope will adopt a more scrupulous stance toward Baku’s policies, guided by Christian, universal, and humanitarian values. The Catholic Church can indeed play a significant role in preventing the destruction and falsification of the Armenian Christian heritage of Artsakh.

Subscribe to our channel on Telegram