Bishops Expect Catholicos Garegin II to Resign Voluntarily and New Elections to Be Held

Episcopates who met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have released a new statement, which reads: "Dear brothers in Christ, dear fellow Armenians. We deeply regret the recent events within and around our Church and the unhealthy atmosphere that is stirring our souls. All this might not have happened if the 1999 Catholicos election had been just and free from intimidation.

The crisis that has arisen as a result of the mismanagement of the Armenian Church, especially in recent months, poses an unprecedentedly dangerous situation both in the homeland and in the Diaspora, disturbing our people's tranquility, faith, and unity. Numerous unjust, anti-canonical discharges of devoted clergy have often occurred unjustly, absolutely based on the unilateral decisions or coercion of the Catholicos.

Often, mediocrity and persons with morally dubious behavior have received higher ecclesiastical ranks and appointments preferentially, while worthy individuals have been sidelined. Due to the errant and arbitrary management by the Catholicos, decisions, appointments, unjust punishments, unnecessary interventions, and dismissals, our dioceses in the Diaspora and individual pastorates often face turbulence, sometimes feeling compelled to sever ties with the Mother See.

The various media reports and accusations against the Catholicos are consistently ignored, unaddressed, and unrefuted by the Catholicos's office or the corresponding structures of the Mother See, casting doubt on their authenticity.

The involvement of church officials in domestic political processes, political calls and statements issued by clergy, participation and organization of political rallies is unacceptable, reprehensible, and does not align with the spirit and regulations of our Church, contradicting our mission to maintain the people's unity.

The long-standing, deliberate failures to create a Church Constitution have allowed the Catholicos over the past twenty-six years to sometimes govern the Church according to his own notions, arbitrarily. The Armenian Church's Episcopal Assembly, National Ecclesial Assembly, or Representative Assembly, which should have convened annually or every two years to review and resolve issues relating to the mission, governance, financial activities, as well as nationwide significance of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has been systematically disregarded.

Concerns, criticisms, and accusations regarding the Catholicos's actions and activities have repeatedly been expressed by the state authorities and political figures, remaining unanswered. The Armenian Apostolic Church should not and cannot pose any harm or threat to the Homeland and the Armenian state, in the person of the Catholicos and some collaborating clergy.

This series of violations, errors, omissions, and deficiencies can be extended further. The current course of the Mother See and the Catholicos of All Armenians is anti-canonical, dangerous, detrimental, and unsustainable, and it can no longer continue. We call on the Holy Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Constantinople, the Episcopal class of the Armenian Church, the clergy, and the faithful people of the Homeland: Holy Patriarchs, as high dignitaries of our Church and presidents of assemblies, lead, or at least call upon, unite, and contribute to finding a prompt resolution to the current situation.

Dear Holy Ones, spiritual brothers, we trust that many of you share this concern. If you wish to see the Armenian Apostolic Church once again fulfilling its God-pleasing and community-serving mission as soon as possible, maintain contact with the members of the Task Force and express your stance and attitude.

We, a group of bishops, recognizing our share of responsibility in the current situation, aim to initiate reforms within the Armenian Church so that our Holy Church can continue to fulfill its indispensable mission in the lives of our people as outlined by our Lord Jesus Christ, contributing to the strengthening of the Homeland during this perilous time, so that the Catholicos of All Armenians can be the Catholicos for all Armenians, regardless of their political and religious views, enabling our Mother Church to truly be a Mother and unite the children of our nation who seek faith in various religious structures.

It is essential to develop and adopt a constitution for the Armenian Apostolic Church by the first National Ecclesiastical Assembly, which will henceforth ensure that the spiritual and intellectual capabilities and qualitative characteristics of the Catholicos and Leaders only contribute to our Church's authority, its course, its legality, and the realization of its Holy Mission.

This self-sacrificing step we take, aimed at the unity and prosperity of our beloved nation, strengthening our Homeland and State, security, and longevity, and the fulfillment of our Mother Church's God-pleasing mission, has been unjustly criticized by some of our spiritual brothers and by certain journalists, political, and social figures who are unaware of the situation. We urge rational judgment and realism, as we stand on the brink of total delegitimization of the Church, its fragmentation, and the disintegration of our people's religious unity.

We expect Catholicos Garegin II to calmly assess the situation for the sake of our Church and people, to refrain from leading our nation and Church into unnecessary turbulence, to resign voluntarily, thereby enabling new elections to be organized. And may the all-seeing and all-wielding God guide us. Amen.

1. Archbishop Hovnan Terteryan
2. Archbishop Navassard Kchoyan
3. Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan
4. Archbishop Arakel Karamyan
5. Archbishop Sion Adamyan
6. Archbishop Vasken Mirzakhanyan
7. Bishop Anushavan Jamkochyan
8. Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan
9. Bishop Artak Tigranyan
10. Bishop Gevorg Saroyan