Supreme Patriarch Makes Changes to Membership of Supreme Spiritual Council

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has issued a statement.

"According to the decision of the Ecclesiastical Representative Assembly held from June 6-8, 2017, the election of 21 members of the Supreme Spiritual Council (SSC) is carried out by continents: 2 lay members from Armenia, 2 from the Eastern Hemisphere, and 1 from the Western Hemisphere. Among the 21 members, two are ex officio: the delegate of the Armenian Patriarchal Diocese of Ararat and the Chancellor of the Mother See. Of the remaining 19 members, 12 are elected, while 7 are appointed by the Catholicos of All Armenians. For the ecclesiastical elected members, 2 individuals are set from Armenia, and 5 from the diaspora. Thus, the SSC members are composed according to continents and the size of dioceses.

Given that since 2017 it has not been possible to convene the Ecclesiastical Representative Assembly for objective reasons, the Supreme Patriarch has made changes to the membership of the SSC in accordance with Article 7 of the SSC Statute. Changes in the composition of the SSC have occurred due to the leadership changes of ecclesiastical members, as new diocesan leaders have legally replaced their predecessors, in the cases of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in the USA, the Armenian Diocese of France, the Diocese of Artsakh, and the Georgian Diocese.

Changes have also occurred considering the frequent absences of certain members, health issues, and the incarceration of high-ranking ecclesiastical members of the SSC," the statement said.