Bishop Serovbe Isakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Germany, clarified that although his name appears on the public letter by bishops calling for Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan’s suspension, he did not sign it and does not support calls for Catholicos Karekin II’s resignation.
“I saw my name there, but not my signature. I haven’t even read the full text. If I had read it, I don’t know whether I would have signed or not,” he told reporters from 24news.am and news.am at the Mother See, as reported by Panorama.am .
He emphasized that such texts require careful reading and understanding. “One must think through every word. I may have skimmed it, but I haven’t fully internalized it,” he added.
Bishop Serovbe said the question should be addressed to those who did sign, as each signature entails responsibility.
On the question of potential Church division, he replied, “I hope not.”
He noted that although he attended the episcopal assembly, the issue of suspending Archbishop Arshak was not discussed. A different topic was addressed, and an official statement on that was already published.
Regarding the controversial videos, he said the matter was handled by the Catholicos and a special commission, which he did not attend.
When asked about omitting the Catholicos’s name during Mass, he said, “I haven’t taken a position on that. Others have. Personally, I don’t believe the Divine Liturgy is the place to resolve such matters.”
He also commented on the arrests of Archbishops Mikael and Bagrat, expressing hope that justice will prevail and that they will return to service.
Finally, he clearly stated: “I do not call for the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians.”
On November 27, Catholicos Karekin II hosted a delegation from Germany’s Evangelical Church, led by Bishop Frank Kopania and accompanied by Bishop Serovbe. They discussed cooperation between the churches in international platforms and social and educational programs.
Meanwhile, a letter circulated online claims forensic analysis confirmed the authenticity of videos allegedly involving Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan. In response, his lawyer Arsen Babayan said neither he nor his client were formally notified of any such report and argued it cannot be legally shared with third parties. He called on the Investigative Committee to clarify the legal uncertainty.
