Class of archimandrites of Congregation of Mother See of Holy  Etchmiadzin confirmed their fidelity to service of Garekin II

ArmInfo.  The class of archimandrites of the Congregation of the Mother See of Holy  Etchmiadzin issued a statement reaffirming their loyalty to the  service of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,  Karekin II.

"Concerned by the events unfolding around and within the Armenian  Apostolic Holy Church, we reaffirm our oath to remain faithful to the  Orthodox faith, the liturgical order, and the enthroned throne of  Saint Thaddeus, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All  Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, who 'teaches us the word of truth  through direct teaching.' Assessing the current situation, we  consider the interference and threats of secular authorities in the  internal governance of the Church unacceptable," the archimandrites'  statement, received by ArmInfo, reads.

The statement also emphasizes the inadmissibility of the obvious  attempts to persecute high-ranking clergy and priests through  government machinations and the divisiveness of the Church, with the  goal of overthrowing the Catholicos of All Armenians.

"Doctrinal, dogmatic, ritual, and disciplinary issues arising within  the Church are resolved solely by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,  in accordance with the canonical rules of the Armenian Church,  'unanimously,' without usurping the rights of the clergy and  competent congregational bodies. The Armenian Patriarch, elected by  the National Church Council and validly ordained, possesses all the  gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit, which are distributed among the  clergy by the council of ordination or by patriarchal gift," the  statement continues.

It is emphasized that no one can assume rights that were acquired as  a result of political circumstances or external intervention, and  anyone who deviates from this principle abuses his power and is  subject to condemnation by the teachings of the Armenian Church.

"Remaining steadfast in our spiritual mission, we call upon the  clergy and faithful of our Church not to succumb to temptations and  despondency due to the slander and persecution directed against the  clergy, and not to alienate themselves from the spiritual life of the  Mother Church. During this period of trials, we await your  participation in the prayerful and consultative life of the Church,  asking God to cleanse us all through repentance and strengthen us in  faith, preserving the unity of our Holy Church and the steadfast  Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin," declared the class of archimandrites  of the Armenian Apostolic Church.  As a reminder, on the morning of  November 27, pro-government platforms circulated a statement signed  by 13 bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church condemning the  inaction of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II in connection with  the scandalous video attributed to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.   Moreover, the hierarchs' signatures in the published appeal are on a  separate sheet. The text of the bishops' statement notes that on  November 5, the Catholicos of All Armenians established a commission  to evaluate the video attributed to Khachatryan. It is also claimed  that the commission appealed to the Investigative Committee of  Armenia to establish the authenticity of the recording. However,  according to the bishops' statement, the Catholicos dismissed the  results of the examination, which confirmed the authenticity of the  recording, as null and void. In this regard, the clergy stated that  Garegin II's behavior regarding this issue, which damages the  Church's reputation, is extremely concerning, and called on "brother  bishops to join in releasing the blasphemous priest." Notably, amid  the scandal that erupted, two of the 13 bishops named in the  statement told reporters that they had not signed any document  against the Catholicos.

That afternoon, at a briefing following the government meeting,  Pashinyan welcomed the bishops' statement. Pashinyan announced his  readiness to meet with the bishops who signed the statement. On the  evening of November 27, Pashinyan's press service published video  footage of a meeting with eight of the 13 clergymen on the list.  Among the participants was the head of the Artsakh Diocese of the  Armenian Apostolic Church.