Meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
19.12.2025
On December 18, under the chairmanship of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a meeting of the members of the Supreme Spiritual Council residing in Armenia was held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The assembly addressed the issues of repression directed against the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the deviant course of ten bishops and their divisive consequences, as well as ways to overcome the situation surrounding the Church.
The discussion also focused on the unlawful persecution of the clergy and the faithful children of the Church, as well as the legal proceedings initiated against them under criminal cases. The Supreme Spiritual Council once again demanded that the law enforcement and judicial bodies of the Republic of Armenia ensure compliance with the law and principles of justice regarding clergy, the national benefactor, and other devoted sons of the Armenian people who have been imprisoned on fabricated charges.
It was emphasized that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin must, by all lawful means available, safeguard the rights of the Church and its clergy, as well as secure the return of seized church sanctities.
The Supreme Spiritual Council deemed unacceptable the interference of the authorities, and personally of the Prime Minister, in the internal life of the Armenian Church and its canonical order, noting that such actions contradict the Constitution of the country, wound the religious sentiments of the people, and violate the rights of the Armenian Apostolic Church and its centuries-old sacred traditions.
Particular attention was paid to the practice of forcibly omitting the names of the Catholicos of All Armenians and diocesan prelates during liturgies conducted in the presence of the Prime Minister. It was stressed that this practice had been unanimously condemned at the Bishops’ Assembly on November 26 as anti-canonical from a theological perspective and capable of leading to schism.
Members of the Supreme Spiritual Council expressed concern that some bishops who had supported the assembly’s decision subsequently participated in distorted ceremonies and organized at the initiative of the authorities.
Addressing the deviant course of ten bishops, their self-isolation from the congregation, and the absence of bishop-members of the Supreme Spiritual Council from meetings, the Council expressed concern over their divisive stance, considering it a violation of their spiritual vows and a blow to the unity of the Church.
The Supreme Spiritual Council condemned the unfounded accusations made by the bishops, as well as the manner in which these accusations were disseminated, emphasizing the need to abandon imposed, anti-canonical agendas and return to the embrace of the Mother Church, acting solely within the framework of canonical ecclesiastical procedures.
In view of the urgent need to overcome the troubling and adverse situation for the Church and its worldwide flock, the Supreme Spiritual Council recognized the convening of a Bishops’ Assembly as urgent. Appropriate directives were issued in this regard.
During the meeting, a proposal was made to take steps to cooperate with international and human rights organizations to halt the dissemination of inaccurate and distorted representations of the situation surrounding the Church by the state propaganda apparatus.
The participants expressed deep gratitude to the clergy who demonstrated steadfast loyalty to the Armenian Church in these challenging days—for their perseverance in faith, spiritual unity, and courageous endurance of trials.
The Supreme Spiritual Council called upon the clergy, within the framework of their pastoral mission, to strengthen the faithful through proper guidance and to exhort them to refrain from actions that could disrupt the unity of the Church.
Referring to the events preceding the meeting, when, during the Evening Service, a gathering of bishops blocking the Cathedral grounds caused unrest, the Supreme Spiritual Council condemned the unlawful actions that disrupted the spiritual atmosphere of the monastery.
The members of the Council expressed their appreciation to the faithful for their prudence, restraint, devotion to the Church, and steadfastness, despite the organized disturbances.
