On June 2, a session of the Supreme Spiritual Council was held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin under the presidency of His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, with the participation of bishops and heads of dioceses from Armenia and the Diaspora.
At the session, issues related to the challenges facing the homeland, church-state relations and a number of key issues of concern to the society were discussed.
Special attention was paid to the shameful anti-Church campaign unleashed by the Prime Minister in recent days. In this regard, the Supreme Spiritual Council issued a statement.
STATEMENT
The Prime Minister of Armenia has launched another campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church with language, insults and accusations inappropriate for a statesman, putting himself above the law.
The publications, filled with profanity and obscene language, are devoid of elementary norms of decency, violate basic human rights, rudely insult the religious feelings of the believers and cover themselves with false justifications of compassion.
This anti-Church position is clearly dictated by political goals and is an attempt to belittle the authority of the Armenian Church and clergy, which are respected in national life and international circles, to silence the voice of the Church and reduce its public influence. The anti-Church behavior of the head of the government, the processes initiated against the national values and the Church are fraught with destructive consequences and pose a threat to the Armenian statehood, the unity of our people both in the homeland and in the Diaspora. Such actions split the society, weaken the spirit of the nation and the high consciousness of patriotism, especially in the current difficult conditions. Such reprehensible initiatives serve the aspirations of external Armenianophobic forces, being to a certain extent connected to the slander and false accusations directed at the Armenian people and the Armenian Church by the Azerbaijani propaganda machine.
The Armenian Church, conscious of its obligations, will steadfastly continue its mission of saving souls and preserving the nation, countering the destructive and destructive processes of the nation and constantly pursuing the defense of the supreme interests of the state and the nation and our sacred values.
Church matters are resolved in accordance with Church regulations and rules and are beyond the jurisdiction of state and political figures. The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is one with its faithful children and ordinary clergy headed by the nationally elected Patriarch of All Armenians. We call upon the competent state authorities to stop this illegal and short-sighted policy of the Prime Minister. There is no need to involve the Church in artificial agendas and push the Church to oppose them.
In the face of this new challenge, we call upon the faithful children of our Holy Church to be united and unified, with devotion to the motherland and the Holy Church and with strong faith to overcome all the challenges facing our nation and never allow our national pillars to be shaken. May these unacceptable machinations not be a cause of disappointment and temptation.
We pray to our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ that malicious phenomena will not disturb our homeland and that our people throughout the world will live in peace, prosperity and progress. May the Lord keep the Armenian statehood unshakable and our Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin bright with all her faithful children.
