Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

[Armanen]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass

I agree, Armanen. However I think it would be good to nip the problem in the bud before it becomes an accepted "culture" like it has for many in the Armenian government.

I am not defending this bishop. All I am saying is let's not attach labels to the entire Church because of one man. Also, the government in Armenia in no more corrupt than the one in the US.

[yerazhishda]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass

This is one example, I do not see how he is an accurate reflection of the entire AAC.

I agree, Armanen. However I think it would be good to nip the problem in the bud before it becomes an accepted "culture" like it has for many in the Armenian government.

[yerazhishda]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass

This is really disheartening news. I have heard many people in Armenia talk about things just like this.

Maybe some clerics or other bishops can take a similar position to that of one of the Church Fathers, St. John Chrysostom who was dealing with similar problems. In his day, bishops accepted similar types of gifts, held lavish banquets, were wining and dining with the various rulers etc. He deposed any priests/bishops involved in this sort of activity and basically gave any non-essential money/valuables to the poor and other charitable causes.

Although calling others out on their misdeeds is something of a no-no in Armenia, especially if that person is "connected", maybe there can be some sort of coalition of clergy or at the very least a brave soul who is willing to "bear his cross" and stand up for the Gospel.

[londontsi]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass

This is one example,.

True.

I do not see how he is an accurate reflection of the entire AAC.

I agree, nor do I.


So you might say what is the problem.

In society it is the cleric’s duty to provide moral guidance and instil moral values in society.
Spiritual leaders be the highest ranking cleric down to the village priest have to be in a position
to criticize any individual or society in general on any moral issue.

Behaviour such as this undermines all other clerics who feel duty bound to criticize or make pronouncements as they see fit.
How can anybody take them seriously when they seem to be unable to criticize one of their own.

Already the average cleric must be vulnerable to be challenged from his flock if such a conversation took place.

[Armanen]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass

This is one example, I do not see how he is an accurate reflection of the entire AAC.

[londontsi]

http://asbarez.com/94712/the-borgias-of-etchmiadzin/

The Borgias of Etchmiadzin

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

If it weren’t for the Resurrection and the Ascension, Jesus Christ would be rolling in his grave at the sight of one of his servants, a high-ranking cleric at Etchmiadzin, driving around town and meeting his flock in a Bentley.

Several weeks ago, the press in Armenia was abuzz with reports that Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, the Vicar of the Ararat Diocese, which includes Yerevan and the portion of the Ararat province, had received a Bentley. The vehicle, valued at $180,000 to $280,000 was, according to the esteemed archbishop, a gift from one of his “godsons.”

When “168 Zham,” a Yerevan-based publication broke the news last month, Kchoyan told the paper to not meddle in his private life and on Wednesday shrugged off criticism of his expensive wheels, telling RFE/RL that he doesn’t “take that seriously,” and arrogantly asking “Should I have renounced the gift?”

On the heels of the Bentley revelation came reports from Hetq.am, a popular Armenian blog, that in 2007 Kchoyan received a pistol from then Prime Minister, Serzh Sarkisian. His spokeswoman reportedly told Hetq that he does not carry around the weapon

“In all countries, weapons are presented to all those who are appreciated,” Kchoyan told RFE/RL. “A weapon is [given as] appreciation, not for some other purpose.”

While His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians has been defrocking priests and archbishops left and right for violating “codes of conduct,” he has yet to offer an opinion, or more fitting in this case, a reprimand to Kchoyan, who has been linked closely to Sarkisian and his Republican Party.

While calls for reforms have been aplenty since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Armenian Church should have reformed and not fallen prey to the same oligarchic standards that have become commonplace for Armenia’s ruling elite.

Armenia has seen a rise in the practice of religion since independence and people place a high degree of respect to clerics. So, for a church leader to drive around town in a Bentley when the poverty rate in Armenia is not only in double-digits by exceeds 34 percent is nothing but blasphemy. Archbishop Kchoyan’s reckless disregard and attitude is even more unacceptable due to his position in the Armenian Church.

On the surface it appears that our esteemed Archbishop Kchoyan has committed at least three of the seven deadly sins: pride, gluttony and greed.

With the famed Borgias in vogue, thanks to an opulent new series starring Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons on Showtime, which premiered to higher-than-expected ratings last Sunday, it is difficult to not draw parallels with Rodrigo Borgia, who through palace intrigue became Pope Alexander VI, despite the fact that he had children and a wife and was known as one of the most bloody religious leaders in history.

The Archbishop Kchoyan episode raises interesting questions, which the press in Armenia has begun to probe. How rooted are these violations of basic Christian codes in the Armenian Church? What else is going on behind the closed doors of the Church? (i.e. how much wealth are these clerics amassing at the expense of the parishioners and at what cost?)

As a nation that prides itself as being the first to adopt Christianity as the official state religion, we must be more demanding of our clerics, be they in Armenia or elsewhere, to behave more humbly and shepherd their followers in accordance to Scripture.