Pressure on clergy continues in the Diocese of Masyatsotn
A tense situation has arisen around the St. Sahak-Mesrop Church in the village of Vosketap, Ararat region. According to the Diocese of Masyatsotn, pressure is being exerted on the parish priest of the church, Father Artashes Hakobyan.
According to information released by the Diocese, the administrative head of the Vosketap community, Nshan Hovhannisyan, and the benefactor of the church’s construction, Hamlet Goroyan, visited the church today. They demanded that Father Artashes vacate the church and informed him that they would return in an hour to change the keys to the entrance doors.
The Diocese of Masyatsotn views the incident as an illegal interference in the internal life of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the service of the clergyman. The Diocese’s statement calls for an end to steps hindering the normal activities of the church and the pressure exerted on the priest.
It is also noted that the St. Sahak-Mesrop Church is built on land belonging to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and no individual or body is authorized to arbitrarily interfere in the church’s activities or privatize it.
As a reminder, days ago, Father Artashes Hakobyan issued a statement noting that he was joining the initiative for the reformation of the Armenian Apostolic Church. However, the next day, he published a new post expressing regret over his previous statement, attributing it to external influence, mental stress, and a misjudgment of the situation.
Bishop Gevorg Saroyan is one of the 10 bishops who joined Nikol Pashinyan’s movement and are demanding the Catholicos’s resignation. He was defrocked on January 10, after which he appealed to the court and was reinstated in his position.