Seizing the Residence of Catholicos Karekin II Will Devalue the Armenian Apostolic Church: Abrahamyan

The call by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to his supporters to gather at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and effectively seize the residence of Catholicos Karekin II will devalue the Armenian Apostolic Church and be a strategic error. This was stated by Ara Abrahamyan, the President of the Union of Armenians in Russia, in an interview with TASS.

“This will be his strategic mistake. He claims to be a believer, but if he truly is a religious person, he will never allow himself and others to devalue the church. The priests of this church have been ordained by the Catholicos; they have baptized Armenians all over the world, millions of people, yet they are deemed to be outside the law,” said Abrahamyan.

He added that a believer and a person who loves their people “will never allow themselves to solve this issue in such a manner.” According to Abrahamyan, Pashinyan manipulates society with such actions, trying to pit people with different religious views against each other.

He also noted that by only highlighting the issues of the Armenian Apostolic Church that may arise elsewhere, Pashinyan overlooks the immense positive and important work done by Catholicos Karekin II for the Church. “No one has achieved so much in the last hundreds of years. It is not about individuals, but about the church, about faith. I am supportive of the church and faith. I am a believer and have built dozens of churches around the world, including the Russian Orthodox Church in Yerevan,” concluded Abrahamyan.