On November 4-7, Mother See in Holy Etchmiatsin, H.S.O.T.T. The meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council was held under the chairmanship of Karekin the Second Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
"At the beginning of the meeting, the members of the GCC prayed to the new congregant of the Mother See, the late Fr. Gisak for the repose of the soul of Archbishop Muradyan. The session was conducted by the diplomat of the Mother See, T. Arshak Archbishop Khachatryan.
T. Archangel Michael Ajapachyan, T. King Bagrat. Galstanyan, T. Baptist Epis. Proshyan, T. Karegin Fr. Arsenyan, national philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, and other illegally imprisoned Armenians were presented with reports on the criminal proceedings initiated against Arsenyan, the judicial actions carried out, the judgment rendered, their legal groundless and discriminatory nature, the protection of the rights of the church and churchmen on international platforms, the intolerance of free speech and dissent, and frequent cases of targeting the church and churchmen in the information field. Ara Zohrabyan, lawyer, international expert Ara Ghazaryan, lawyers Aram Vardevanyan, Hovhannes Khudoyan and I.G. Arman Tatoyan.
The Supreme Spiritual Council strongly condemned the blatant illegal harassment and oppression of the rights of the church and clergy, as well as the spread of hate speech and intolerance through anti-church rhetoric, stressing that such phenomena undermine both the principle of freedom of conscience and speech, as well as public solidarity. It was also noted that the accusations and suspension measures against the clerics are based on illegal facts and contradict the international standards of the right to a fair trial and restriction of personal freedom.
The Council reaffirmed the position of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to support the establishment of justice and protect the rights of the church servants and the faithful people, once again calling on the law enforcement agencies for the sake of justice to stop the illegal criminal proceedings and release the imprisoned clergy and civilians. Steps aimed at the restoration of the rights of the Mother See and ritualistic life, the protection of the spiritual and canonical life of the believers and the normal service of the clergy were also seen as necessary.
Lawyer Ara Ghazaryan reported on the legal proceedings against the military and civilians detained in Baku and the protection of the rights of Artsakh Armenians. The flagrant cases of violation of human rights by Azerbaijan were presented, it was emphasized that the so-called trials carried out have nothing to do with justice and contradict the fundamental provisions of international humanitarian law.
The speaker emphasized both the involvement of the church and international organizations, as well as the implementation of legal steps aimed at the release of prisoners through the European Court of Human Rights and the UN human rights bodies.
The Supreme Spiritual Council emphasized the need for continuous attention and coordinated steps towards the issue of prisoners. The willingness of the church to continue efforts in cooperation with sister churches and international religious structures to promote the return of captives and the use of legal mechanisms for the protection of human rights was reaffirmed.
The member of the Central Committee, I.G.D. Gevorg Danielyan, presenting facts that testify to the systematic policy implemented by Azerbaijan, aimed at the destruction and usurpation of Armenian historical and cultural values. It was noted that the purpose of the historical falsification sponsored by the Azerbaijani government is to erase the traces of the Armenian identity of the region and to try to legitimize their claims to the Armenian heritage.
The GCC emphasized the support of the widest international circles and, in particular, the further expansion of the works carried out by the church in the direction of the preservation of the spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh.
Ph.D., Assoc. In his report, Mikael Malkhasyan referred to the worrisome provisions in general education programs and Armenian history textbooks. The speaker presented examples that show how various facts of Armenian history are distorted and events are distorted, belittling the historical role of historical figures and events, church and state figures.
The Supreme Spiritual Council noted with great concern that such approaches endanger the continuity of the national identity and historical memory of generations, emphasizing the need to value national symbols and form respect and proper attitude towards them, also emphasizing the mission of the church in preserving the national identity, historical memory and spiritual values of the people.
The General Assembly discussed and decided to form commissions for the purpose of organizing spiritual and cultural events dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the death of Saint Gregory the Illuminator and examining the question of the canonization of Reverend Komitas. During the four-day meeting, issues related to the church's pastoral life, disciplinary and legal issues and the effectiveness of the church's mission were also discussed. The meeting was concluded with the words of blessing and appreciation of the Catholicos of All Armenians," the message reads.
