Does the Catholicos of All Armenians need a bodyguard or not? This is a private question. I think that if Garegin II requests a bodyguard from the appropriate structures, they need to respect his request and ensure the safety of such a high-ranking religious official. Has the Mother See requested such a thing? The arguments as far as why this needs to be established by law are not very good, in my opinion. When it’s said that the Catholicos needs to be protected from attacks by degenerates and sexual minorities, it’s unclear whether this is in reference to physical or moral attacks. If there have been physical attacks, then regardless of the attackers’ sexual or religious orientation, law enforcement needs to deal with it. If the argument is about ideological attacks, then every citizen has the right to voice their view.
The debate in parliament yesterday went completely in the wrong direction. The people who were against creating a law to provide the Catholicos with bodyguards were asking why the Catholicos needs to be protected from his own people. The people who were in favor of the law were arguing that, if that’s unnecessary, then Pashinyan should not be protected from the people either. Both the argument and the counterargument were worthy. Of course, throwing around the word “people” is a characteristic of the post-revolutionary period. There are citizens who need to be protected, and there are citizens who are threats. Or they aren’t. On the other hand, the comparison with Pashinyan was not a good one. The Prime Minister is the highest-ranking official in the country; his (or her) safety needs to be protected on the highest level (I am personally in favor of having more security).
It was also said that the Catholicos’ social authority will be emphasized this way. But let’s be honest- the Patriarch has no authority. That is not the fault of any member of the opposition or any authority, and even if they pass 20 laws, they will not increase his authority. I don’t know what Garegin II needs to do in order to have more authority, but that is completely his issue.
The Armenian Apostolic Church itself has a lot of authority, regardless of the Catholicos’ and other religious officials’ positive and negative characteristics. And we all must increase its authority.
Aram Abrahamyan
