Mother See responds to the council’s statements
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has issued a statement in response to the message released on January 21 by the Council for the Reformation of the Armenian Church. According to the See, the message once again distorts realities and attempts to mislead the faithful people.
The statement notes that the exhortations and invitations of the Mother See addressed to the bishops who initiated the movement have remained unanswered to date. Furthermore, the bishops have not proposed realistic solutions for the regulation of relations between the Church and the authorities; on the contrary, they continually attempt to resolve issues through non-canonical means.
The See reminds that the Assembly of Bishops is canonical, and matters regarding the renewal of ecclesiastical life must be examined and resolved exclusively within church bodies.
It should be recalled that the Assembly of Bishops is scheduled to be held from February 16-19 in the city of Sankt Pölten, Austria. Yesterday, a group of bishops who had joined Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and demanded the resignation of Garegin II announced that they would not participate in the Assembly of Bishops planned abroad, characterizing it as a “decision sowing discord” and “adventurism.”