The Patriarch of All Russia stated during a conversation with “Rossiya” TV channel that when the establishment didn’t understand the expression of protests, it was a bad a sign, it meant that the establishment wasn’t capable of self-correction. In the patriarch’s opinion, the establishment must be able to transform, taking into account also external signals and fixing its own policy. “If something happens the society must have the right to express its protest”, said the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, he underlined that the church shouldn’t take sides with anyone.
Certainly, a question arises – why none of the leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church has said anything like that for the past 20 years? No one can say that our establishment did not need or does not need to transform or change its political course, now can he? Are they afraid? But of what? It’s not 1930s anymore to have clergymen persecuted. It’s even not 1970s when not loyal attitude toward the authorities could lead to unpleasant consequences for religious leaders. No matter what they say, the times have changed – no one can convince me that if let’s say the current catholicos (certainly, not engaging in politics) had stated in March 2008 that killing 10 people in the street was not right or that it was a mistake to put people in jail for their political views, he would have been “fired”. Moreover, today, Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, the Leader of the Shirak Diocese, not going beyond his “powers” as a priest at all, speaks of problems concerning the society freely and no one defrocks him. Then it is not the fear of punishment. It is also not the Soviet upbringing – the former catholicos not having such upbringing (by the way, substantially excelling Garegin II in intellect and education) also showed absolutely opportunistic and “bureaucratic” attitude. And on the contrary Aram I, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has spoken of those obvious drawbacks of the Armenian reality just recently, of which, I am convinced, His Holiness Garegin should also speak. I really don’t know why it is so. It is not ruled out that he has some business connections with the current establishment. It is possible that the catholicos is just indifferent to the problems concerning our society. Or maybe he is too busy with building his Yerevan residence – he will have his say as soon as he has a place “to have a break” in the capital.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
