For the Love of God, Don’t Say You’re Next to the Church: Ruben Rubinyan

The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Ruben Rubinyan, wrote on his Facebook page:

“Today, I noticed that several opposition figures are saying something along the lines of: ‘No matter how much the clerics have violated sacred vows and how many children they may have, we stand by the church because the authorities are bad.’

Dear ones, I am of course not against your desire to stand by those who have broken their vows, but, for the love of God, don’t say you’re next to the church. You are not next to the church; you are next to your opposition sacred partners, your political allies. Don’t turn the Holy Church into a shield for yourselves; it’s unnecessary.

The ecclesiastical rule is clear: the highest ecclesiastical leadership must be celibate; therefore, it is impossible to be next to someone who has violated celibacy and simultaneously claim to be next to the church. Similarly, for example, it is impossible to say, ‘The president has falsified the elections, but I am next to him because of this and that.’ Yet, what am I saying? You have done that too.”