Archbishops: December 18 will remain one of the shameful and  inglorious pages of our modern history

ArmInfo.  An anti-church gang, under the open protection of its infamous leader,  once again invaded the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on December 18,  attempting to storm the holy site, as noted in a statement issued by  Archbishops Bagrat Galstanyan and Arshak Khachatryan.

According to a statement released from the pretrial detention center,  it was shameful to see the vanguard of the attackers, still  high-ranking clergymen, with tattoos of treason on their foreheads,  hiding like foxes behind lines of police with confused and perplexed  expressions. "It is obvious that they also recognize that they have  chosen the path of self-destruction and self-denial, becoming puppets  in the hands of a treacherous puppeteer who will soon sacrifice them  to his bloodthirsty idol of hatred and enmity. The walls of the  Mother Cathedral have seen many invaders, they have seen this too  (they all turned to ashes), and in this regard, December 18 will  remain one of the shameful and inglorious pages of our modern  history. In the face of this shameful spectacle, we recall with  particular admiration the courageous stance of our pilgrim clergy and  faithful, who once again proved that the sense of identity of the  Armenian people cannot be destroyed, despite the cruelty of  persecution. On behalf of ourselves and our other imprisoned  spiritual brothers, His Holiness Michael and Mkrtich, we express our  loyalty to the Patriarch of All Armenians and the throne of the  Illuminator, as well as our support for the brave and devoted clergy  and people. We pray with special fervor wishing Father Vrtanes  Baghalyan a speedy recovery. May the Lord preserve the Throne of our  Holy Etchmiadzin, our beloved and suffering homeland and people, so  that the cloud over our lives may be lifted, the fog may be rejected,  the darkness may be dispelled, evil may disappear, despair may be  banished, and may the almighty hand of the Lord reign."