Armenian Apostolic Holy Church Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

By the patriarchal decree of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the Reverend Vardapet Father Zaven Yazichyan, spiritual pastor to the Armenian faithful in the Marneuli region of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in Georgia, has been officially defrocked.

This decision was rendered based on a petition submitted by His Grace Bishop Kirakos Davtyan, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in Georgia, and the findings of the Disciplinary Committee concerning Fr. Zaven Yazichyan’s voluntary abandonment of his place of spiritual service.

Henceforth, the defrocked clergyman shall be considered among the laity, bearing the baptismal name Sarkis Yazichyan.