Statement of the Mother See

The Mother See has issued a statement:

“On November 28, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians a meeting of the Armenia-resident members of the Supreme Spiritual Council was scheduled. However, it was not possible to convene a session with legal quorum due to the absence of Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan and Bishop Gevorg Saroyan.

Nevertheless, the council members present made a private consideration of the statement published on November 27, signed by nine bishops.
It was recorded that the aforementioned text completely distorts the work of the commission created to examine the case of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan. In essence, the commission has not convened any meeting and has not even provided Archbishop Arshak with the opportunity to meet with it, while the conclusion submitted to the Catholicos of All Armenians by the members of the commission was not drawn up in accordance with proper procedure.

It was also noted that the commission made no official request to the Investigative Committee for an expert examination of the video attributed to the Archbishop, and that the conclusion obtained by an individual member of the commission was acquired in obvious violation of the law, is neither exhaustive nor complete, and cannot serve as a reliable basis, and therefore could not be deemed acceptable by the Patriarch of All Armenians.

It was further reported that on November 24, taking into account the existing difficulties for the current commission to work effectively, the chair of the commission, Archbishop Khajak Parsamyan, addressed a letter to the Catholicos, proposing the formation of a new commission composed of three persons in order to ensure a fair examination of the matter. This new commission could also consider the issue of the temporary suspension of the Archbishop’s service until the completion of the commission’s work. On November 25, the members of the existing commission were informed about the proposal for a new commission and gave their consent.

Thus, it is obvious that the accusations voiced in the statement against the Catholicos of All Armenians are absolutely unfounded and fabricated, and that the targeting of the Archbishop’s person and the formation of prejudiced opinions are unacceptable.

Condemning and deeming unacceptable this adopted stance, the council members found it imperative that the clergy return to the canonical field, voicing their concerns within the supreme conciliar bodies of the Church and not undermining the unity of the Church.”