YEREVAN (Azatutyuan.am) — Parish priests from across Armenia on Friday, July 11, joined senior clergymen in reaffirming support for Catholicos Karekin II and condemning Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s efforts to depose the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In a joint statement adopted during an annual conference in Echmiadzin, they also deplored the “political persecution” of two archbishops and Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan arrested last month.
“The inappropriate behavior and obscene language displayed by the Armenian authorities towards the Holy Church, their continuous threats and blatant attempts to split the clergy offend the noble feelings of our believers around the world and also directly violate Armenia’s Constitution and Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations and numerous international norms,” read the statement issued by more than 200 priests.
“Hate speech, propaganda of discrimination, and calls for various forms of violence are dangerous and destructive and can never bring good to our national and patriotic life,” it said.
The low-ranking clerics went on to express their “filial support” for Karekin, who presided over their gathering. They described him as a “good and courageous shepherd” who must continue to lead the church and its faithful to “peaceful and safe havens with divine wisdom, calmness and an ever-vigilant spirit.”
The heads of the Armenian Church’s worldwide dioceses and other bishops issued a similar statement a week ago.
