Mother See Issues Statement

Today, June 25, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council was held, resulting in a statement.

“The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin expresses deep concern regarding the actions taken today by law enforcement agencies against His Eminence Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and his supporters, as well as the serious accusations directed at them. The fact that representatives of the Prime Minister and the ruling party have been attempting to influence law enforcement agencies through various publications for apparent political reasons raises doubts about the integrity of the legal proceedings.

It is also condemned that there is an intention to artificially link the mentioned process with the Church and to exploit the name of the Mother See, which entirely fits into the context of the anti-church campaign initiated by the authorities. The Mother See will pursue the fair process of the case by all legal means and urges the relevant bodies not to succumb to political speculations, to be guided by the requirements of the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Armenia, and to respect the principle of the presumption of innocence,” the statement reads.