Suspended priest Stepan Asatryan has changed the lock of the church at Hovhannavank, thereby preventing the other clergy from entering the building.
According to Father Sargis, the keys they had no longer fit. “As a result, neither I nor Father Manuk can now perform our service in the church,” he said.
He said that when he went to the monastery yesterday, police vehicles and people from the suspended priest’s circle were present, and “we had a minor argument again,” he added.
Father Sargis said that they are distributing information about the situation via the diocese’s official website and through clergy of other dioceses, asking people not to approach Hovhannavank. “The services at Hovhannavank are attended by people from different places in Armenia. We have asked that clergy in other dioceses speak, explain, so that the public is informed of the situation and avoid going there,” he said.
He noted that five ceremonies (including weddings) had been scheduled for Sunday, of which only one took place at Hovhannavank, and the rest were moved elsewhere. “We had five ceremonies, weddings, of which only one remained at Hovhannavank; the others moved their ritual elsewhere. Today I also had a baptism, they called me, and we transferred it to Saghmosavank, where I performed the ceremony,” he said.
He emphasized that under such conditions, it is no longer possible to fully perform services at Hovhannavank.
On October 26, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in a liturgy at Hovhannavank led by the suspended priest, which the Mother See declared unauthorized. He announced he would also attend the upcoming service on November 2.
