Armenian Apostolic Holy Church Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

From November 4 to 7, a session of the Supreme Spiritual Council was held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin under the chairmanship of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. At the opening of the session, the Council members offered prayers for the repose of the newly departed monastic clergyman, Archbishop Gisak Muradyan. 

The proceedings were presided over by the Head of the Mother See Chancellery, Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan. Reports were presented by Candidate of Legal Sciences Ara Zohrabyan, lawyer and international expert Ara Ghazaryan, attorneys Aram Vardevanyan and Hovhannes Khudoyan, and Candidate of Legal Sciences Arman Tatoyan. The reports addressed criminal cases, investigative actions, and judicial decisions concerning Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, Priest Garegin Arsenyan, philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, and other sons of the Armenian people who have been unlawfully deprived of liberty; the legal baselessness and discriminatory nature of these judicial cases; the necessity of defending the rights of the Church and the clergy in international forums; intolerance toward freedom of speech and dissent; and the increasing targeting of the Church and its clergy in the information space.
 
The Supreme Spiritual Council strongly condemned the manifestly unlawful acts against the Church, the infringement of the rights of the Church and its clergy, and the dissemination of hate speech and intolerance through anti-church rhetoric, emphasizing that such phenomena undermine the principles of freedom of conscience and expression, as well as public solidarity.
 
It was also noted that the charges brought against clergymen and the preventive measures imposed on them are based on unlawful facts and contradict the right to a fair trial and internationally recognized standards on the limitation of individual freedom.
 
The Council reaffirmed the position of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin—to promote the establishment of justice and defend the rights of the clergy and the faithful—and called on law enforcement agencies to halt, in the name of justice, unlawful criminal prosecutions and to release spiritual and civilian persons unjustly deprived of their liberty. It was deemed necessary to take measures to restore the Mother See’s rights over the Hovhannavank Monastery, resume liturgical life, protect the spiritual and canonical life of the faithful, and ensure the proper service by the clergy.
 
Lawyer Ara Ghazaryan presented a report on the judicial processes concerning the military and civilian persons forcibly held in Baku, as well as on the protection of the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh. He highlighted egregious violations of human rights by Azerbaijan, stressing that the so-called judicial processes have no connection with justice and contravene the fundamental provisions of international humanitarian law.
 
The speaker emphasized the importance of involving the Church and international organizations and of taking legal measures to secure the release of forcibly detained individuals, with the assistance of the European Court of Human Rights and UN human rights bodies.
 
The Supreme Spiritual Council stressed the importance of coordinated efforts and sustained attention to the issue of prisoners. The Church’s readiness, in cooperation with Sister Churches and international religious organizations, to continue efforts to secure the return of prisoners and to implement lawful mechanisms for human rights protection was reaffirmed.
 
Member of the Supreme Spiritual Council and Doctor of Legal Sciences, Gevorg Danielyan, reported on Azerbaijan’s encroachments on Artsakh’s spiritual and cultural heritage, presenting facts demonstrating a systematic policy of destruction and appropriation of Armenian historical and cultural values. It was emphasized that the historical falsification supported by Azerbaijani authorities is aimed at erasing traces of Armenian identity in the region and at legitimizing claims over Armenian heritage.
 
The Supreme Spiritual Council underlined the importance of mobilizing broad international support and expanding the Church’s activities to preserve Artsakh's spiritual and cultural heritage. Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor Mikael Malhasyan, in his report, addressed alarming elements present in the school curricula and Armenian history textbooks.
 
The speaker provided examples illustrating the distortion of facts in Armenian history, the rewriting of events, and the belittling of the roles of historical figures, as well as ecclesiastical and state leaders.
 
The Supreme Spiritual Council, with deep concern, noted that such approaches endanger the preservation of national identity and historical memory across generations, emphasizing the need for respectful treatment of national symbols and values, and highlighting the special role of the Church in safeguarding the national identity, historical memory, and spiritual foundations of the people.
 
The Supreme Spiritual Council considered and resolved to establish commissions to organize spiritual and cultural events dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the passing of Saint Gregory the Illuminator and to review the issue of the canonization of Komitas Vardapet.
During the four-day session, disciplinary and legal matters, questions related to the pastoral life of the Church, and the effective fulfillment of its mission were also discussed.
 
The session concluded with words of blessing and gratitude from the Catholicos of All Armenians.