The Meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council Concluded
24.02.2024
From February 20 to 24, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, the regular meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council (SSC) was convened in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Following the greeting and blessing remarks of the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamyan, Pontifical Legate of Western Europe was invited to chair the meeting sessions.
Reports were presented on the ongoing developments around Armenia and Artsakh, the challenges facing the country, the protection of the rights of Artsakh Armenians, their social support and the initiatives implemented in the direction of the preservation of Artsakh's spiritual and cultural heritage by His Grace Bishop Gevork Saroyan, Chairman of the Administrative Council of the Mother See's Social Service; Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Garegin Hambardzumyan, Director of the Artsakh spiritual and cultural heritage office and Mr. Arman Tatoyan, Director of the Center for Law and Justice "Tatoyan" Foundation.
During the discussion, the Supreme Spiritual Council condemned Azerbaijan's unconcealed expansionist ambitions under the ceasefire conditions, the ongoing encroachments of the Azerbaijani armed forces on the sovereign territories of Armenia, and the propaganda of enmity and hatred of Armenia. In order to overcome the security problems facing the homeland and protect the rights of the people of Artsakh, the Supreme Spiritual Council considered national unity, the effective concentration of the potential of national structures, the healing of relations between Armenia and the Diaspora, and the proper organization of cooperation vital and important.
The congregation also raised a prayer for the peace of the souls of the servicemen who died due to the Azerbaijani aggression in the direction of the Armenian positions of the village of Nerkin Hand in Syunik, and for the speedy recovery of the wounded.
A reference was made to the policy of targeting and appropriation of the spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh adopted by Azerbaijan, the cases of desecration and destruction of historical and cultural values, historical shrines and graves. The Supreme Spiritual Council attached importance to the consistent efforts of the Artsakh spiritual and cultural heritage office of the Mother See to inform the international community about the threats to the monuments of Artsakh.
It was also informed that in the past months, within the framework of the implemented social programs, the Church has provided living conditions and provided material support to many forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians, particularly the victims and families with four or more minor children were in the center of attention. The need to attract new funds to ensure the continuity of social programs was emphasized.
Reports were presented on church-state relations and changes implemented in the field of public education by His Eminence Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and Proto-Archimandrite Zakaria Baghumyan, Director of the Christian Education Center of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
It was noted that due to abnormal relations between the Church and the state, a number of key issues of national-spiritual significance, related to the most important areas of legislative, educational, cultural and protection of holy places, remained unresolved.
The congregation expressed their concern that as a result of the policy adopted by the authorities in the field of public education, the subjects of Armenian studies have come under attack, in particular, the content of Armenian history has been distorted with gross errors, omissions and arbitrary approaches. Reaffirming its position, the Supreme Spiritual Council concluded that public education should be protected from the influence of both anti-scientific and anti-national currents and ideas by all legal means.
A special reference was made to the intention of the RA authorities to adopt a new Constitution. Emphasizing that the foundations of the RA Constitution are the symbols of the national-spiritual life, the memories and events of our people's cherished past and our national desires and aspirations, the members of the assembly considered it inadmissible to belittle or ignore these values in public discussions, especially in the context of the adoption of the new Constitution.
The Supreme Spiritual Council found the initiative to adopt a new Constitution very puzzling, especially when it is also perceived as a consequence of external coercion in public circles. It was noted that the speech of various high-ranking officials of Armenia, as well as the President of Azerbaijan, regarding the adoption of the new Constitution only deepens the existing doubts.
Examining the proposed amendments to the law "On the prevention of domestic violence, protection of persons subjected to domestic violence and restoration of family solidarity", the Supreme Spiritual Council emphasized with great importance that the proposed additions to the law should not contradict the cherished ideas and Christian perceptions of our people, the family, and should not give rise to unacceptable misunderstandings.
Reports were presented on the progress of the main renovation and re-consecration of the Mother Cathedral, as well as on the organizational work of the Blessing of the Holy Muron service by His Eminence Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and His Grace Bishop Moushegh Babayan, Grand Sacristan of the Mother See.
The congregants also visited the Mother Cathedral and got acquainted with the progress of major repairs. Welcoming the completed works, the SSC members noted that the works of the main repair of the Mother Cathedral are in the final stage. It was decided to organize the re-consecration of the Mother Cathedral and Blessing of the Holy Muron ceremonies on September 28-29 of this year, the Feast of Saints George the Warrior and Holy Cross of Varag. The SSC instructed the coordinating committee for the re-consecration of the Mother Cathedral, the Blessing of the Holy Muron and related events to carry out the organizational work of the Temple's re-consecration and the Blessing of the Holy Muron ceremonies.
During the meeting, the 2023 activity agenda of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the annual financial report and the report of the Audit Committee were presented. The spiritual-propaganda, cultural, educational and social programs implemented in the previous year in Armenia and Diaspora communities were presented.
Various other issues related to the activities of the Hierarchical See, dioceses, ecclesiastical, canonical, legal, educational spheres became the subject of discussion.
The meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council concluded with the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the "Protector" prayer.
