Today, in an interview with the Aravot.am, Secretary-General of “Heritage” party Stepan Safaryan told that he is receiving “shocking information” about the Catholicos, about the property that he is trying to obtain through the church. “It is the first time I am stating about it. I was deeply shocked when I found out that the park located in Nor Nork 1st district, near Gayi statue belongs to the Catholicos and the Holy See and it is not under care of the precinct authorities because it has another owner.” We clarified whether it has become the private property of the Catholicos or Etchmiadzin, Stepan Safaryan replied, “I do not care whether it personally belongs to the Catholicos or the Holy See. It has become the policy of the Holy See by the Catholicos, and he has captured the public parks. The Catholicos displaying such behavior cannot deserve respect, at least by me, and even if I do not call him a demon, definitely I will not tell any positive and praising words to his address.”
Styopa Safaryan also added that he has found out that the Catholicos has captured not only the park in Yerevan, but also other parks, as well as the territory of the Institute of Language. “He has just acquired them by using the state leverages. In the same way, now, the Catholicos, if he does not want the hatred and criticism against him be continued, he should be abstained from intervening in secular affairs and statuses of secular people. It should not be allowed for the Catholicos to use the Minister of Culture or any other levers to dismiss the author of criticism unpleasant to him from work. The church, itself, has been persecuted by the Soviet Union for years. And, nowadays, it seems that the church seems to be trying to become a persecutor of citizens’ free speech and free mind. In this regard, it is just condemnable, and I think that the society will not allow its church to become a devil.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
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