I Am the Least Politicized Cleric: Archbishop Aghajanyan

I am the least politicized cleric. This was stated by the head of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Mikael Aghajanyan, in an interview with NEWS.am.

Referring to the positive remarks made by Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan regarding the peace process and the path to EU membership in his address to Nikol Pashinyan in Estonia, Archbishop Mikael said: “The government officials applauded him and did not say, ‘Stop, Your Holiness, do not make political statements.’ They were happy, they applauded, they finally found the spiritual figure of their hearts. Archbishop Vazgen is our brother; we have had a close relationship for over 40 years, we have camaraderie, we have a shared history, we have achievements and we have missteps. But the year 2018 was a watershed; our political views have diverged since then. Archbishop Vazgen was right to speak out because no one will call him ‘Mr. Mirzakhanyan,’ no one will call him a ‘Stalinist priest,’ no one will call him a ‘Kremlin agent.’ The man made the right decision.

If I had the sense, I would say such things as well, and they would not call me ‘Mr. Aghajanyan,’ they would not call me ‘walking ignorance,’ ‘Kremlin agent,’ or ‘Stalinist priest.’

According to Archbishop Mikael, the Church maintains a reserved stance towards the current government. “Yes, I have issues with the content of that greeting as well, but I am not the mother chair. I would personally express my approach to His Holiness Vazgen, but I will not greet Nikol Pashinyan, I will not shake his hand, I will not welcome him; this is my position. I was the first clergyman to refuse to shake his hand on December 7, 2020. I said he is not my prime minister, and I see no necessity to shake his hand,” he stated.

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