Under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a session of the Supreme Spiritual Council was held on 13 January at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The meeting was chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the Monastic Council of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The session opened with the Lord’s Prayer, after which the Catholicos of All Armenians conveyed His blessing and good wishes to the members of the Supreme Spiritual Council. The agenda included issues relating to the administrative, canonical, and disciplinary matters of the Church. A report on Church–State relations and the current situation was delivered by Mr. Gevorg Danielyan, PhD in History.
It was emphasized that the issues concerning the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church are examined within the appropriate ecclesiastical structures according to the established canonical order, with the formulation of suitable solutions.
It was noted that the circulated thesis of “intra-church confrontations” is artificial and intended to legitimize unlawful interference by the authorities in the internal affairs of the Church. It was also recorded that the anti-Church campaign initiated by the authorities at the end of May 2025 has assumed a systematic character, accompanied by unconstitutional actions, criminal prosecutions, and repressive measures against the clergy.
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The Supreme Spiritual Council expressed its gratitude to the faithful people who have shown support for the Armenian Church, as well as to organizations and individuals who, within the framework of the law, have expressed their firm stance in defense of the Church’s rights.
Qualifying the accusations of the Church’s involvement in political activity as unfounded and unacceptable, the Supreme Spiritual Council condemned attempts by the ruling power to draw the Armenian Church into political processes through the creation of artificial agendas, which give rise to new schisms and confrontations in the life of our people.
The Council also expressed concern regarding the divisive stance adopted by ten bishops, as well as the defamatory statements and accusations they made in public addresses against the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians.
The participants of the session strongly condemned the bishops’ alignment with the “Program for the Reform of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church,” initiated and openly patronized by the Prime Minister, as well as the unlawful pressure and threats exerted against the clergy by diocesan leaders, carried out with the involvement of local government officials, law enforcement, and security structures.
The Supreme Spiritual Council called upon the clergy not to yield to unlawful coercion or pressure and, remaining faithful to their calling, to be guided exclusively by the canonical order of the Armenian Church.
After discussing ways to overcome the current situation, it was decided that the Episcopal Assembly and the prayerful retreat, which had been convened at the end of last year and temporarily postponed, would be organized during February.
The session concluded with the “Guardian” prayer (Pahpanich).
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin