Armenia’s Supreme Spiritual Council meeting fails to take place, says Etchmiadzin

A scheduled meeting of members of the Supreme Spiritual Council residing in Armenia was not held on November 28, the Etchmiadzin Patriarchate has confirmed.

The meeting failed to convene due to the absence of several senior clerics, including Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, and Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

A statement issued by the Patriarchate noted that the attendees who were present discussed a declaration dated November 27, signed by nine bishops.

The Patriarchate said the declaration misrepresented the work of the commission appointed to address issues concerning Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.

According to the statement, the commission had not convened any meetings nor provided Archbishop Khachatryan an opportunity to be heard. Its findings, submitted to the Catholicos of All Armenians, were reportedly not properly formalised.

The commission also did not request an official investigation into video material attributed to Srbazan, and a conclusion obtained by an individual member of the commission was described as incomplete and legally flawed.

On November 24, Archbishop Hajak Parsamyan, a member of the commission, proposed to the Catholicos the formation of a new three-member commission to ensure a fair review. Existing commission members were informed of this proposal on 25 November and reportedly agreed.

The Patriarchate condemned the allegations directed at the Catholicos as “entirely unfounded and fabricated” and criticised attempts to target individuals and form prejudiced opinions. Meeting participants emphasised the importance of returning church officials to “the canonical framework.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev