Ktrich Nersisyan is long excommunicated, he is a man who has usurped the Mother See, says Pashinyan

Today, it is either impossible or very difficult to find a place to live a spiritual life in Armenia due to well-known reasons. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a Q&A session with the government in the National Assembly.

“On the one hand, we talk about the necessity of having a values-based society, which we all agree with; on the other hand, the question is this: the epicenter of the public's values is tainted, how is it possible for a judgment to occur?” Pashinyan remarked.

“Hovhannavank is the place where it is possible to live a spiritual life, and what happened in the last months is an argument for me. I want to join the community whose spiritual leader is Father Aram Asatryan, and whose activities we have observed in the recent events. The smear campaign apparatus, which we learned during this period, operates under the leadership of Ktrich Nersisyan, and did not manage to tarnish the credibility of Father Aram Asatryan's activities, and this substantiates that those who want to live spiritually can live with spiritual integrity in Hovhannavank.”

Pashinyan also pointed out a nuance that he believes could become a focus in the agenda for the restoration of spiritual life: “If I'm correct, Hovhannavank, like many other monuments, is on the Government's balance, and several churches have been granted to the Apostolic Holy Church for free use. There are all moral and legal grounds that we return all these monuments to the public and you will all support Father Aram and priests like him in every way so they can restore spiritual life in Armenia. I myself see the necessity for a platform for spiritual life and believe my searches are visible, and there is a preliminary impression that this place has been found, and I will personally try to confirm my impressions,” he stated regarding his announcement to participate in the service at Hovhannavank.

“Ktrich Nersisyan is long excommunicated; he is a man who has usurped the Mother See. Let him first explain to the public where he got his wife and children from,” Pashinyan added. “We have no conflict with the church; we have a conflict with those who defile the church and violate its sanctity.”