Archbishops call for suspension of dissenting clergy

PanARMENIAN.Net - Archbishops Michael Ajapahyan and Bagrat Galstanyan, currently held in detention, have issued a public statement in response to a recent declaration by ten bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church, according to Hraparak.

In the statement, the two hierarchs “request and propose” that the Catholicos “terminate the service of schismatic and disobedient leaders who have already rendered their own judgment through their conduct.”

They accuse the ten bishops of betrayal and cowardice, labeling their actions as “a despicable and treacherous conspiracy” unworthy of clergy. The archbishops allege these bishops chose secretive, underhanded tactics over open ecclesiastical procedures and criticize them for past sycophancy toward the Catholicos, from whom they had received titles and advancement.

Аrchbishops Michael and Bagrat also stress that six of the ten bishops had voted for the current Catholicos during the 1999 National Ecclesiastical Assembly and boasted of this support for decades. The remaining four, they note, advanced within the church thanks solely to the Catholicos' patronage.

The letter accuses the dissenting bishops of aligning with “shameless, anti-national authorities” in an effort to save themselves while pretending to defend vague “principles.” The archbishops liken them to Judas and denounce the rift they have created as unprecedented in 200 years of Church history.

They call on the Catholicos to:

• Suspend the schismatic and disobedient bishops from office.
• Appoint new diocesan leaders immediately.
• Convene a synod with participation of the imprisoned clergymen or after their release.
• Convene a National Ecclesiastical Assembly following the synod.

They also urge priests in the affected dioceses to no longer obey the rebel bishops and to pledge loyalty to the Catholicos.

The statement ends with a warning that unless some of the rebel bishops repent like Peter, they may face Judas's fate.

A group of senior Armenian Apostolic bishops had recently issued a statement accusing Catholicos Karekin II of covering up a scandal involving Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan. They also questioned the Catholicos's legitimacy and called for his resignation. Prime Minister Pashinyan has met with and welcomed their stance.