There is a public demand for the Church to take power into its hands, says Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan

The Church is not fully present in the movement, nor is there a need for it, but it supports it; this is a movement outside the Church, led by Bishop Bagrat, and there is no disagreement within the Church on this issue. Every clergyman is weighing how much they can participate or not participate, said His Grace Mikayel Ajapahyan, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Shirak.

“We do not intend to take power, but there is a public demand for the Church to take power into its hands; this does not come from a good place, but is due to the impotence of the current authorities that have brought us to this point. The political arena is so bankrupt that the people are pinning their hopes on a cleric. I am confident that Bishop Bagrat has no ambitions to become Prime Minister; the people simply do not connect hope with any political force,” commented the archbishop.

Addressing the legislative obstacles regarding Bishop Bagrat becoming the country’s leader, Archbishop Ajapahyan emphasized that Bishop Bagrat will not go against the Constitution. Speaking about the necessity of nominating a candidate for the country's leadership, Ajapahyan noted that Bishop Bagrat will not transfer power or the leadership of the movement to the previous authorities or to anyone from the current government; he will not accept the people’s mandate.

Regarding the upcoming statements aimed at checking the financial transparency of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Ajapahyan stated that a fool could claim that a priest does not pay taxes; let them check whether we pay or not. “We pay income tax and property tax; what else should we pay? Let them supervise, we have no customs or tax privileges. Is the Georgian government, which compensates the Church, requiring taxation? Are they more democratic and liberal than the Russians, the Greeks, or the Bulgarians? Let them compare with Orthodox countries and see what the relations between the state and the church are like, and whether they are taxed. Are the Georgian, Russian, Romanian, or Serbian churches taxed? Should we applaud foolishness, thinking that it is great that now the budget will be filled, what do they know about the Church having mythical wealth?”

For more details, see the original source.