Bishop Abraham (Vayots Dzor Diocese), Bishop Gevorg (Masis Diocese), and Bishop Vazgen (Baltic States Diocese) are no longer members of the Supreme Spiritual Council (SSC), according to Father Yesayi Artenyan, head of the Information Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

He explained that members of the SSC are elected or appointed based on geographic representation and their leadership of key dioceses.

“For instance, Bishop Vazgen used to serve as the Primate of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese, which gave him a seat on the SSC. Now that he has been replaced by Bishop Kirakos, the latter automatically assumes the SSC membership, as is customary; this is what happened with the French, Eastern U.S., and Western U.S. dioceses,” Father Yesayi explained, as reported by Panorama.am.

The Mother See had previously announced changes in the SSC’s composition due to transitions in diocesan leadership.

“Given that the Church has not been able to convene the Ecclesiastical Assembly since 2017 for objective reasons, the Catholicos of All Armenians made adjustments to the SSC’s composition based on Article 7 of the Council’s bylaws. The new diocesan primates have replaced their predecessors by virtue of their office, as in the cases of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, the Diocese of France, the Diocese of Artsakh, and the Georgian-Armenian Diocese. Other changes also reflect frequent absences, health concerns, or cases where high-ranking clerics are in detention,” the statement said.