Judges accept lawsuits against Apostolic Church

PanARMENIAN.Net - An Armenian court has ordered the Armenian Apostolic Church to ensure the continued service of priests who were declared defrocked, pending final judicial decisions.

Judge Sima Abovyan of the Armavir Regional Court of General Jurisdiction has accepted into proceedings the lawsuit filed by defrocked priest Aram Asatryan against the Armenian Apostolic Church. A similar claim by Father Tade Takhmazian (Aramayis Takhmazian), was also admitted by Judge Hovhannes Melkonyan, Factor.am reports.

The court obliged the Church to ensure the service of the defrocked priests.

Stepan Asatryan, known as Father Aram Asatryan, requested that the Patriarchal decree of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II declaring him defrocked from the position of spiritual pastor of St. Hovhannavank be declared invalid and that he be reinstated in the same position. Aramayis Takhmazian similarly demanded that the Patriarchal decree declaring him defrocked from the position of spiritual pastor of the Talin region be invalidated and that he be restored to the post.

Motions to apply interim measures were also attached to the lawsuits.

In particular, Father Aram Asatryan asked the court:

1. To oblige the defendant and other persons to fully and without obstruction ensure his exercise of duties as spiritual pastor of St. Hovhannavank;
2. To prohibit the defendant and any other person from undertaking any actions that could in any way hinder him, as spiritual pastor of Surb Hovhannavank, from exercising the rights and duties defined for a diocesan leader by the Charter of the Armenian Apostolic Church and other applicable rules.

The court partially granted the motion, obliging the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and other persons to fully and without obstruction ensure the exercise of duties by Stepan Artak Asatryan, (father Aram Asatryan), as spiritual pastor of St. Hovhannavank until the final judicial act in the civil case enters into legal force.

Aramayis Takhmazian (father Tade Takhmazian), likewise requested that the defendant and other persons be obliged to fully and without obstruction ensure his service as spiritual pastor of the Talin region.

On February 14, it became known that Armenia’s Prosecutor’s Office initiated criminal prosecution against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II on charges of failing to execute a judicial act in the case of the former head of the Masyatsotn Diocese and imposed a ban on his departure from Armenia.