Ruben Babayan on the situation surrounding the Church: It`s not just  about the vow of celibacy- it`s a serious geopolitical, ideological,  civilizational, and civic issue

ArmInfo. States have always sought to either subjugate the Church or prevent it from  interfering in state affairs, as stated by Ruben Babayan, director  and former head of the Hovhannes Tumanyan State Puppet Theater, in an  interview with Public Television.

According to him, similar practices have occurred in various  countries. He cited France, England, and Italy as examples. "In 1929,  Mussolini was even forced to create the Vatican State to prevent the  Catholic Church from interfering in Italian affairs," Babayan noted.  Addressing the Armenian reality, Babayan mentioned that in Armenia,  too, the state has exercised strict control over the Church at  various times. "It's enough to recall the Soviet era. Catholicos  Khoren I was assassinated, and all subsequent Catholicoses during the  Soviet era were effectively under KGB control. Let's also recall the  election of Karekin I, when the president directly called for his  election as Catholicos, and then the election of Catholicos II,  during which archbishops publicly declared pressure from the  authorities," he noted.

According to the director, starting in 2018, with the beginning of a  new socio-political phase, the state, on the contrary, distanced  itself from Church processes. However, after the 2020 war, the Church  began actively interfering in politics. He noted that the clergy's  statements after the war were understandable, as during that period,  "only the lazy did not demand the resignation of the government and  new elections." "But subsequent events have shaped my thinking  differently," Babayan said. He emphasized that he was not at all  interested in issues of celibacy, pointing out that "nature is often  stronger than religious prohibitions." However, he added that there  were more serious accusations. "Today, no one can deny that the  Catholicos is involved in politics. Even defenders of the Church's  position say that he is a citizen and has the right to do so,"  Babayan said.

In this vein, he emphasized that the Church has one mission-to show  the way to God. "I've always compared the Church to a hospital. A  hospital may have a pharmacy, a coffee shop, a prayer room, a store,  a library, but its main purpose is to treat people. If a hospital  stops treating and focuses on business, it is not fulfilling its  primary function," Babayan clarified.

He also emphasized that he was expressing this stance as an outsider,  as he considers himself an agnostic and respects both believers and  atheists. "But maybe we should take the responsibility for our own  actions.  "If, say,  you are unwillingly thrust into the political  sphere and used as a symbol, maybe you should consider not being  a  pawn if you disagree with it," he said.

For a long time, as Babayan noted, the Armenian Church has been under  the influence of various states- both during the Soviet period and  earlier, in the Ottoman, Russian, and Iranian empires. "I think when  the Church lost one [master] in Armenia, it began looking for another  and found one in the North. Perhaps I'm wrong. This is a serious  issue. It's not about celibacy. It's a geopolitical, ideological,  civilizational, and civic issue," the director said.  He emphasized  that regardless of one's status-whether a member of the clergy, a  villager, an actor, or anyone else-one may disagree with the  government's policies, but one is obligated to defend its status as a  state.