Armenian Apostolic Holy Church Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

In accordance with the decision of the Church-Representative Assembly held on June 6–8, 2017, the election of 21 members to the Supreme Spiritual Council (SSC) is conducted on a geographical basis: two lay members from Armenia, two from the Eastern Hemisphere, and one from the Western Hemisphere. Two of the twenty-one members—namely, the Vicar of the Araratian Patriarchal Diocese and the Chancellor of the Mother See—are members ex officio.

Of the remaining 19 members, 12 are elected, while 7 are appointed by the Catholicos of All Armenians.

For members elected from among the clergy, representation is established in the number of two persons from Armenia and five from the Diaspora. Thus, the composition of the Supreme Spiritual Council is formed with due consideration of geographical regions and the size of the dioceses.

Taking into account that, for objective reasons, it has not been possible to convene the Church-Representative Assembly since 2017, the Supreme Patriarch, guided by Article 7 of the Statute of the Supreme Spiritual Council, implemented changes in the composition of the SSC.

Changes in the composition of the SSC were necessitated by changes in the leadership status of ecclesiastical members, whereby newly appointed diocesan primates, by virtue of their canonical right, replaced their predecessors—specifically in the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in the USA, the Armenian Diocese of France, the Diocese of Artsakh, as well as the Armenian Diocese of Georgia.

Changes were also made in view of the frequent absences of certain members, health-related considerations, and the circumstance of the deprivation of liberty of certain high-ranking ecclesiastical hierarchs who are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council.