Clergy of Shirak and Gugark Dioceses Express Support for Karekin II with Statements
The clergy of the Shirak Diocese issued a statement on December 6, noting that during the Divine Liturgy scheduled for Sunday, they will mention the names of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and the Primate of the Diocese, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan.
The statement notes that the Diocese’s clergy will continue to uphold the ecclesiastical order unchanged. They emphasized that if the Divine Liturgy is served in the churches of the Shirak Diocese by someone who is not a clergyman of the Diocese, it will be considered a violation of the Primate’s See functions.
The clergy of the Diocese mentioned in the statement that the Surb Yot Verk Church (Holy Seven Wounds Church) has repeatedly overcome difficult times, and they are convinced that this situation will also be overcome. Simultaneously, the clergy of the Gugark Diocese also issued a statement, expressing their support for the Mother See and His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. The statement was signed by 16 clergymen of the Diocese, led by Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan. However, it should also be noted that 24 priests serve in the Shirak Diocese.
Earlier, there were statements that all the priests of the Shirak Diocese had refused to omit the name of the Catholicos during the Liturgy attended by the Prime Minister. It was also noted that this time the Liturgy would be served by Father Ruben, the priest of the Surb Hakob Mtsbnetsi Church in Gyumri.
However, the latter reported that NSS (National Security Service) employees had spoken to him about this issue, but he refused to omit the Catholicos’ name during the Liturgy.
It should be noted that on December 5, Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page that this time, on December 7, he would also attend a Liturgy in the Shirak region. In response to a journalist’s question, he stated that he only attends those Liturgies where the Catholicos’ name is not mentioned.