Father Asoghik Karapetyan, Director of the Museums and Archives of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, issued a strong condemnation of the bishops who recently called for the suspension of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan’s powers. In a public post, he accused them of betrayal and disloyalty.
“As a faithful Armenian, a humble and devoted servant of the Armenian Church, a brother and official of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, I condemn with righteous anger and utmost severity the oath-breaking and treacherous bishops who acted today in a manner unworthy of their sacred calling and ecclesiastical rank,” he wrote.
“I have shared bread with them in the dining hall of the Mother See, lived under the sacred roof of our divinely built cathedral, prayed beside them before the Holy Altar, exchanging the kiss of peace in Christ. How can I now look them in the eye…
I will pray from the depths of my heart for God to show them mercy and grant them clarity of mind to come, in sincere repentance and tears, and fall before our Spiritual Father, the fountain of grace, the Patriarch of All Armenians. I express my absolute loyalty, unshaken love, and unwavering dedication to the revered Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and His Holiness Karekin II, the great and divinely appointed Catholicos of All Armenians,” the statement reads.
A group of senior clergy, including archbishops and bishops, had earlier released a statement accusing Catholicos Karekin II of attempting to cover up Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan’s actions, supported by circulated video evidence. They also stated that Karekin II had violated the oath he took upon his consecration.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently met with those bishops, thanking them for their principled public stance. Among the participants were Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, Archbishop Arakel Karamyan, Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Bishop Anushavan Jamkochyan, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, Bishop Arakel Tigranyan, and Bishop Gevorg Saroyan.
