Deliberate Dissemination of Baseless Claims: Statement from the Mother See

Recently, the press and various individuals have been deliberately circulating the unfounded claim that the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church lacks a constitution. This is stated in a statement released by the Information System of the Mother See.

“For centuries, the Armenian Church has been guided by the canons adopted by ecclesiastical assemblies and Patriarchal letters. Even during the tenure of Catholicos Vazgen I, the Armenian Church initiated the creation of the Constitution of the Armenian Apostolic Church, a process that continued during the leadership of Karekin I and more extensively during the current tenure of Catholicos Karekin II.

In the years 2009 and 2014, during the Ecclesiastical-Representative Assembly sessions convened at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the constitutions of the National-Ecclesiastical Assembly (NEA), the Ecclesiastical-Representative Assembly, and the Supreme Spiritual Council (SSC) were confirmed, alongside guidelines for diocesan and parish constitutions. These established and finalized constitutions are applicable within our church, with their final validation also needing to be conducted by the NEA.

Therefore, the assertion that the Armenian Church “lacks a constitution” has no basis in truth or reality. Furthermore, corresponding committees created under the direction of the Supreme Patriarch continue their work in this direction, aiming to finalize the Constitution of the Armenian Apostolic Church, whose adoption will indeed represent a significant and pivotal event in the life of our church.

At the same time, it is with great sorrow that we must acknowledge that the work of the draft committees has been disrupted, as their representatives are currently unlawfully imprisoned.

Regarding the convening of the NEA, we consider it important to emphasize that it has been and continues to be the wish of the Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians to convene the NEA every seven years to discuss the challenges and issues faced by the Armenian Church and provide solutions, while also outlining the priorities of our church's activities. Unfortunately, the assembly has been postponed due to the pandemic and the Artsakh war. We hope that an NEA will soon be held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, which will address and provide solutions to the raised issues and concerns.