Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

[hagopn]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

most Armenian clergy enter the profession to enjoy an easy life, if not the good life.

Traditionally those who would decide to enter the priesthood would do so because they didn't have many career options open to them

so sadly the majority have no moral principles, no values. They usually come from the lower layers of society. They can become foul-mouthed or even violent when anyone exposes their misdeeds

Yes. I can accept that. In the US we have the military as the greatest welfare system.

However, during the genocide when the mobs were running from village to village murdering every Christian population they could grab, there is a story of the Kahana who, having seen the mob in the distance from the belfry, had climbed to the top of the church dome, had torn down the cross, and had yelled "Allahu Akbar!" The village was saved by having time to escape with the caravans to Aleppo. True story.

[hagopn]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

Not about spiritual leaders, but...

This obsession with antiquity, primordialism, autochthonism has to have been nurtured during the Soviet era, right? There has to be a reason every single one of those godforsaken republics (with the possible exception of the Baltic states) believes their nation to be God's gift to humanity (except they existed before Him, too).

Family tree of nations to be installed in Republic Square?

April 15, 2013 - 16:21 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Center of PR Development has come up with an offer to install a family tree of nations the Republic Square, with Armenia to be portrayed as cradle of humankind.

A picture depicting Armenia as a cradle of mankind is available in a Gospel published in London in 1634, with “Armenia” and “Ararat” words written on Noah's Ark, painted at the foot of the tree.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/154242/

I don't know. I once read a few dozen articles about the Tarim mummies, those that happened to have reddish hair and were dated long before the Chinese civilization, etc.

The part that caught my eye was the fanatical obsessions on the part of especially the English and the Scottish posters and commentators who likened the mummies to "Uncle Harry... He could look just like my uncle harry, that mummy, by Jove. Indeed our ancestors were the founders of the Chinese, as well as all Asian civilizations."

See picture of Uncle Harry http://www.dandebat.dk/images/6p.jpg

Obsession with antiquity is a European (we started it all) and Semitic (no! we started it all, and our ten billion year calendar proves it!) thing. Soviets were much more innocent.

Having said that, the article is about this 1634 print. What's the big deal? Why get so worked up about it? I don't see anything that relates to primordialism.

In any case, Armenians are, as things go, a primordial culture-- Only such a culture can be so darn confederate.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

He obviously has no class.

If you own a Bentley, you should have a driver also and travel in style.

If you drive a Bentley ( i.e. you cannot afford a driver) then you should work as a chauffer.
Doing weddings and funerals should be a good earner!!

Hah .. I missed the humour there until now!

There was an old news report - probably from before this thread started - that a particular church in the Ararat Diocese had become a favourite for the weddings of the criminal oligarchs and the funerals of their fallen bodyguards and street-thug goons. So much so that the normal parishoners were now too afraid to go there.

Though of course the top oligarchs build their own private churches and pay for the priests that go in them.

[hagopn]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

Although the system is open to abuse and frequently abused, I have come across some really dedicated clergy.

Fortunately it is not difficult to realise pretty quickly who is what.

They certainly do not enjoy my trust and respect automatically because they wear the cloth.

As a general rule, what few interview of the genocide survivors that I had done revealed was precisely that the average Kahana had to earn his keep in the rural environment. For one thing, reputation in small social groups are more permanently tainted, and the Kahana of the village was not an assigned post, but an inherited post "elected" as such in the traditional sense: i.e. the most trust fellow in the village would earn that right at some point in time and pass it down to the generations, which was, interestingly enough, not an absolute rule, where a different family could produce a Kahana at any given point.

The urban priesthood were the more prone to corruption due to the overall transparencies of urban life but also due to the very nature of urban populations as compared to rural. I did interviews through a friend, fascinating and erudite fellow, A. Terteryan, whose ancestors hailed from Peria, whose own grandfather was a Kahana, and the information gained was most enlightening with regards to the behavior of the Kahana in their area versus what was happening in larger cities. The disdainfully pejorative term "kakhkeni" (roughly, city dweller) was regularly used to describe corrupt behavior by the elderly interviewed. As even a 100 years ago the writer Raffi would describe the sort of leadership who would in turn influence the selection of Church leadership, the symbiosis of these two groups is well identified. Raffi is more severe, detailed, and factual in his criticisms than Baronian, without the humorous satire. (Although, Grigor Artsruni, Raffis' editor, benefactor, sponsor, friend, mentor, etc. did criticize Raffi of going overboard with this negativism on occasion, just to keep in mind.)

The critics of the clergy certainly have strong arguments. Take for example the Archbishop Yeghishe of Jerusalem, a totally and utterly political animal and showcase person for corruption. The only reason he was tolerated was due to his innate ability, again as a political animal, to be able to negotiate terms with the Zionists with regards to the Armenian Quarter and other Armenian holdings. He took complete advantage of his position and made a business out of selling artifacts from St. James and elsewhere. it was rumored that he also was party to a brothel operation in Beirut, but "those are just rumors". Perhaps a more political naive and malleable moralist would have been harmful to the community in such turbulent times, which is the argument used by his reluctant supporters. My grandfather, who was a donor to the monastery, distrusted this fellow and most of the monks and clerics, with only one exception. On the flipside, the one exception, was the Kahana in Haifa who was an absolutely honest man and true to his calling. Everyone in his time agreed.

There was also the Archbishop Chinchinian of Egypt who passed away in 2004 who was remembered as an honest man. http://oia.net/2004/01/22/lraper-arc...-eternal-rest/

The typical parishoner is of the same mindset you are. The Ayatollism of automatic submission is certainly not a Christian, especially Armenian, ethic.

Remember, Armenians are, as Derenik Demirjian said, "the ultimate freemen," or, in my opinion, to use a more apt political term, natural confederates.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

The Armenian Church is Held Hostage by Its Hierarchy: Part 1

Vosgan Mekhitarian
HETQ. October 6, 2013

http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/29854/the-armenian-church-is-held-hostage-by-its-hierarchy-part-1.html

Unfortunately, the Armenian Apostolic Church is held hostage in the hands of its hierarchy - the Catholicos, archbishops, and bishops.

The most recent Synod conference, which took place in Etchmiadzin from September 24 -27 of this year, was utterly disappointing. Even though we were not enthusiastic about the agenda and had no high expectations for the reformation of the church, we were, nevertheless, hopeful that, at the least, this bishops’ conference would address the most crucial subjects and issues facing the Armenian Church today.

It has been several decades since we last saw such a comprehensive congregation of bishops convened to discuss long-standing issues and pertinent challenges emerging from the modern world. How could they neglect to take advantage of such a momentous opportunity to discuss —at a minimum—the fractious nature of the Armenian Apostolic Church and explore all means for its unification?

The topics and issues discussed were clearly secondary and non-essential in nature, especially in light of overwhelming evidence of internal corruption - from top to bottom - not to mention any number of unresolved issues pertaining to the hierarchy of the church. Specifically, matters of urgent ecclesiastic attention and critical social issues of concern to the public, manifested by the widespread outcry in all media worldwide, were notably absent from the agenda and discourse.

Moreover, keeping in mind that no serious preliminary studies were conducted prior to the conference to set a reformative agenda - or even one that was cognizant of current issues - it appears that the bishops had come to Etchmiadzin for purposes other than tackling the burning questions that are consuming an increasingly dissatisfied public.

How have we arrived at this conclusion? Here are some facts that provide the rationale for our reasoning:

First, let’s examine the two main topics of the conference agenda. These were discussed, with pro and con opinions aired, and a final declaration was formulated, which, in turn, was published in the official website of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia as well as in many newspapers.

1. The conference decided to adopt a measure leading to the collective canonization of all Armenians who perished during the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923.) The Synod has directed to formulate a special committee to study individual and collective canonization issues, and to present their findings at the next Synod. Also, the committee has been tasked with drafting a canonization procedure for subsequent submissions.

It is inconceivable that in the 21st century the clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church does not have procedures and rituals of canonization in place, similar to those of the Catholic and Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches. Thus, it begs the question: How do you canonize millions of people as saints when you don’t have a solid foundation of precepts whereby to establish sainthood. In addition, was it really necessary to assemble 62 of the highest ranking clergy just to realize that there are no canons in place to determine sainthood?

That said, we should not approach this issue either lightly or superficially. There are serious theological and political implications associated with this matter. After all, Armenians throughout the world consider those who perished in the Genocide as saintly. However, the individual and/or collective canonization of those who were massacred presents ambiguous and insoluble dilemmas: a person who is to be canonized, must first be witnessed by living members of the church; then, it must be established that the person was indeed a devoted Christian—and martyred in the name of Christ, and lastly, that miracles were observed after his or her death.

2. The next issue was the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Confirmation, and the moral-instructive guidelines of Holy Baptism. The Liturgical Committee was assigned to further continue their work. Also the language of Armenian Church services was discussed. All these issues have been addressed in the past locally in every Diocese or Prelacy, introducing, unilaterally in many instances, vernacular Armenian - sometimes even non-Armenian languages - in certain parts of the liturgy.

As we read on the web site of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, the sessions of September 27 were devoted to the modern challenges facing the Armenian Church. On September 26, 2013, Thursday morning, according to a participant eyewitness, His Holiness Aram I loudly declared to the participating bishops: “The public expects something from this conference. We (Karekin II and I) have nothing specific on our minds. Bring us your suggestions by tomorrow morning.” And my source concluded: “Imagine if newspaper correspondents were here. What would they write about Catholicoi who had no specific agenda in their mind for a very important and unique Synod conference?”

As delineated by Aram I, the bishopric Synod is convened “to pray together, to think together, and seek avenues to reform the Armenian Church with serious and affirmative means”. Hence, was the above declaration the sum total of the outcome of the conference? Was the end result a set of flashy declarations about the Synod, and nothing else? Where are the crucial issues that trouble our church and our people? How will the church renew and reform itself, when we are not courageous enough to talk about issues that threaten the stability of a church that precipitates in the downfall of moral values, xxxxxles on human rights issues, ignores a national identity crisis, and imperils the family structure and the value of love.

Our expectations are neither unreasonable nor unobtainable. All we need is to have the courage to see and approach our weaknesses critically. Unfortunately, within the last fifty years and more, all we have witnessed is the church hierarchy giving lip service to critical issues, much like the repetitive crashing of waves on shore to only vanish with no trace.

There was no need to revive Nerses Catholicos of Ishkhan from the 7th century to illustrate the turmoil in our church today. On a daily basis, the Armenian people are witnessing the dark realities of the church and the lifestyle of corrupted, business-minded clergy. There is no need to look for excuses anymore by claiming that the church’s internal problems are the result of Soviet era politics, in order to justify the decadent and effete lifestyle of the clergy. Haven’t the past 22 years of independence been enough time to correct our mistakes?

Catholicos Karekin II claims that if there are so many unresolved issues and problems in the Armenian Church, it is because of the absence of canons and a constitution, lying at the root of our misunderstandings. On the contrary, we affirm that the church has canons and a constitution in place, but the clergy, who has the duty to implement them, prefers to act as a totalitarian government, as a result of which we witness unconstitutional, unreasonable defrocking of priests, to name but one issue.

One cannot understand why the Synod did not address the most crucial issues that threaten the stability of the church’s foundation, the threats that are related to the internal life of the church and the collective and private lives of our people. Why is it that no one from the participating clergy addressed the following issues?

•The letter of protest of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan Manougian—addressed to his Holiness Karekin II—and the impact of that letter on the psyche of the clergy.
•The resignation letter of the Primate of France, His Eminence Archbishop Norvan Zakarian and the impact of that letter on the psyche of the coming generation of the clergy.
•The illegal election of the Supreme Council of the Armenian Church in Holy Etchmiadzin.
•The re-evaluation of the spiritual mission of the clergy and the requirement to abstain from involvement in secular businesses.
•How to revitalize the spiritual life of the church and reflect it in the daily lives of ordinary people. In other words, the issue of being the guiding light and spiritual compass of the people.
•To stay away from all secular wealth and to focus on, and to understand and heal the spiritual wounds of the people.
•The church, as a “hospital-in-the-battlefield,” needs to heal the wounds of its soldiers and to reassure the hearts of the faithful and give them hope for the future.
•The church has to develop an appropriate standpoint regarding gender issues, specifically as it relates to women and their place in the daily life of the church. The church cannot subsist without a comprehensive understanding of women and their role in it.
•The most crucial issue of celibacy of the clergy (the quasi-married status (legal/non legal) of high-ranking clergy). A solution needs to be found to end this nefarious practice.
•The covert and surreptitious practice of homosexuality in the church.
•The church must have a clear stand regarding abortions and must articulate it unambiguously, as they have direct implications for the survival of our nation.
In the future, we will evaluate and analyze individually issues that are mentioned here and we will suggest reasonable solutions.

Please do not exploit our devotion and faith in the Armenian Church. If these conditions are not corrected, in all likelihood, they will create further disunity and discord, thus threatening the existence of our nation.

(To be continued)

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

The Armenian Church is Held Hostage by Its Hierarchy: Part 2

Vosgan Mekhitarian
HETQ. October 21, 2013

http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/30136/the-armenian-church-is-held-hostage-by-its-hierarchy-part-2.html

Let us consider for a moment the letter of protest by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan Manougian—addressed to his Holiness Karekin II—and its impact on the psyche of the clergy.

According to historical accounts, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem was established almost at the same time as the Mother See Holy Etchmiadzin. The Patriarchate had its own special position as ecclesiastical/spiritual center in the Hierarchy of the Armenian Church. In an environment, frequently hostile to Armenians, it was able to retain its preeminent position among all other Christian denominations, and because of the politically favorable conditions, was able to become a fortress of enlightenment where our church traditions were kept safe.

However, under ne-political conditions, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is struggling to keep its own traditions, independence and identity, and is ill-prepared to guide new generations of priests.

Today, as a nation, we live under tragic conditions. Our laissez-faire approach to addressing issues and solving problems within our communities puts us face to face with very serious dangers such as dysfunction, corruption, and ultimately, the loss of identity. Unfortunately, however, we have no grasp of these dangers. The theatrical performance of our clergy has found more ground in our hearts than in understanding of the laws, which are the foundations of a healthy church.

Let us examine and understand these laws.

•The law of the jungle--a place where there are no principles, other than “might makes right”.
•The law of nature - inherent balance and regularity between all living entities in nature.
•The law of the mob - where the accused is judged by the mob and not in a court of law, and is summarily sentenced to death.
•The constitution - the law that governs the relationship between the government and its citizens.
•International laws - those that govern the relationships between countries and define their duties to each other.
•Civil law - body of laws which sanction the supreme authority of the state.
•Criminal laws - hose enacted to preserve the public order by defining offenses against the state and public, and imposing a penal sanctions.
Furthermore, there is another incomprehensible and unacceptable condition in life whereby man impugns all laws and creates his own scheme of rationalizations to impose his will upon all others.

Having looked at the various types of law that govern the human condition, how should one regard the relationship between the Holy See of Etchmiadzin and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem? We maintain the public be the judge.

Before analyzing Nourhan Patriarch’s letter of protest, it is important to pay attention to the sentiments and discontent of our readers, i.e., that the relationship between the two patriarchates of Jerusalem and Istanbul is in a state of discord. During the last Jerusalem patriarchal elections, Catholicos Kareken II attempted to interfere and manipulate the situation but was thwarted.

Furthermore, while late Torkom Patriarch was the Locum tenant in Etchmiadzin, he attested to the corruption of the Nersisyan clan and was courageous enough to express his opinions and make recommendations, which were not cordially received by Archbishop Karekin Nersisyan and his clan.

Let’s return to the protest letter dated August 3, 2013, and analyze the impetus for Nourhan Patriarch to officially pen and submit such a letter.

Foremost, the letter was written in a brotherly spirit, a letter addressed to his big brother, Catholicos Karekin the II.

Second was the final decision of the Supreme Religious Council to accept Archbishop Norvan’s resignation from his post as Primate of France. The non-elected and irresponsible members of the Religious Council, did not have the courage and integrity to question His Holiness Karekin the II and under duress and pressure, took the degrading decision to accept the resignation of Archbishop Norvan. What would they think if, instead of Archbishop Norvan, one of them had their own integrity questioned and their spineless “brothers” took such a heartless decision? They would probably curse the day they joined the ranks of the clergy.

It is understandable and only just that a brother should be able to advice his older brother to be lenient and considerate of another brother, even though there are some misunderstandings, and that the latter deserves punishment commensurate with his transgression. But in a situation like this, where there is injustice perpetrated, it is unconscionable to stand by and let a brother be sacrificed and become the target of vengeance. After mentioning in his letter that the decision was “unacceptable and unjust”, Patriarch Nourhan suggests that his Holiness should act with forgiveness towards his younger brothers.

“ Two years ago you tried to convince Torkom Patriarch to elect Co-adjutor and when Archbishop Aris Shirvanian objected saying that there is no such Article in the Jerusalem Patriarchal constitution, you were furious and declared ‘I will defrock all of you’, and furthermore you repeated the same to me and my answer was ‘Is this how you will threaten every one? Don’t you know anything else’?”

It is very likely that this threat has seriously affected all members of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. Indeed it is very sad, but it reflects a reality, a reality that is unlawful, unjust and non-Christian, and unfortunately this kind of behavior is practiced in both Catholicosates--Etchmiadzin and Antelias.

The last piece of advice given by Nourhan Patriarch, where he says that “it is impossible to bring up and prepare a healthy- minded new generation of clergy under pressure and dictatorship”, is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in the church, which is not only widely expressed in the general newspapers, but is also expressed by members of the clergy, who are currently suffocated and muzzled under the dictatorship of the Catholicos.

The bishops that participated in the conference, especially those who grew up in the Jerusalem Patriarchate, knew all these facts, but did not have the courage to bring this subject up for discussion at the Bishops’ conference. What will the young generation of clergy think? One can only shudder to imagine what the impact of that letter will be on the psyche of the clergy.

Some people adhere to the belief that such subjects should not be discussed openly. We disagree completely. It is time to address all issues openly and publicly if we are to believe that the Armenian Church should be governed democratically–of, by, and for the people.

The Armenian Church is becoming dictatorial institution, ignoring all democratic laws and canons. Even though there is a small contingent of humble clergy that opposes these unjust practices, they do not have the power to voice their opinions, and regrettably, are relegated to self-imposed isolation.

Do we have to constantly reiterate this one indisputable truth: that the Armenian Church is the sole force that led our nation throughout the troubled years when we lost our political independence? The Armenian Church molded the spiritual character of our nation and kept our identity in tact to parallel the exercise of our political powers.

Although this is the sad reality of our times, we should, nevertheless, declare openly that some leaders are hesitant to uphold our religious constitution by criticizing the lifestyles of corrupted clergy and admonish them to stay within the boundaries of their vows.

The ultimate authority in the Armenian Church is the Catholicos, who is obligated to uphold the constitution down to its very detail. The absence of such practice is an insult to democracy and the sacred rights of the Armenian people.

(to be continued)

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

Styopa Safaryan's `shocking information' about Catholicos. `He has
captured public parks.'

http://en.aravot.am/2013/10/19/162098/

October 19 2013

Today, in an interview with the Aravot.am, Secretary-General of
`Heritage' party Stepan Safaryan told that he is receiving `shocking
information' about the Catholicos, about the property that he is
trying to obtain through the church. `It is the first time I am
stating about it. I was deeply shocked when I found out that the park
located in Nor Nork 1st district, near Gayi statue belongs to the
Catholicos and the Holy See and it is not under care of the precinct
authorities because it has another owner.' We clarified whether it has
become the private property of the Catholicos or Etchmiadzin, Stepan
Safaryan replied, `I do not care whether it personally belongs to the
Catholicos or the Holy See. It has become the policy of the Holy See
by the Catholicos, and he has captured the public parks. The
Catholicos displaying such behavior cannot deserve respect, at least
by me, and even if I do not call him a demon, definitely I will not
tell any positive and praising words to his address.' Styopa Safaryan
also added that he has found out that the Catholicos has captured not
only the park in Yerevan, but also other parks, as well as the
territory of the Institute of Language. `He has just acquired them by
using the state leverages. In the same way, now, the Catholicos, if he
does not want the hatred and criticism against him be continued, he
should be abstained from intervening in secular affairs and statuses
of secular people. It should not be allowed for the Catholicos to use
the Minister of Culture or any other levers to dismiss the author of
criticism unpleasant to him from work. The church, itself, has been
persecuted by the Soviet Union for years. And, nowadays, it seems that
the church seems to be trying to become a persecutor of citizens' free
speech and free mind. In this regard, it is just condemnable, and I
think that the society will not allow its church to become a devil.'

Hripsime JEBEJYAN

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

Who exactly, if anyone, HAS been calling him a "demon"?

Criticize, but decently

http://en.aravot.am/2013/10/19/162092/

October 19 2013


Our high-rank clergymen need to get used to current situation, when
they are not beyond criticism, and when we, the ordinary believers,
express our dissatisfaction regarding their, to say the least,
intemperate behavior. However, the criticism is beautiful within its
reasonable limits; there is nothing sound in rude and arrogant attacks
of the Catholicos and the Holy See. Calling my church leader a `devil'
is sacrilege, obscenity and injustice. Apart from everything, it is
offensive, first of all, to me as a representative of given faith. (To
the point, despite knowing that ardent opponents `are going to
attack', I must say that I support the harshest critics of present or
former presidents, but insulting, humiliating qualification are
unpleasant to me, they offend my dignity as a citizen). Karekin II is
not a devil at all, he is a ordinary Armenian high-ranking official
with the mercenaries typical to given environment, with intellectual
level and with completely lack of `spiritual fire'. The current
Patriarch is neither the first nor the last Catholicos of our history,
who does not have the qualities of being a spiritual leader. Bishop at
Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Michael Ajapahyan, to
confirm that `who is not an Apostolic, he is not an Armenian', in my
opinion, a wrong and splitting thesis, says that to understand the
music of Komitas you definitely need to be a man of our faith. Let's
leave aside the circumstance that in this case to understand Bach's
music you should be a Catholic, and thus we admit by default that Bach
belong only to Catholics, and Komitas is only ours. I just wanted to
remind how the relations of our prominent musician and `bosses' of the
Holy See are arranged after the death of Catholicos Khrimian Hayrik.
They were relations between the talented individual and average,
spiritually self-contained leaders. Thus, `shining' among the priests
are as rare as in other specialties. ... As a response to my criticism
to the high clergymen, the following `murderous' counterargument is
usually brought: `and are you perfect to write such things, first,
consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye.' Of course, there
are thousands logical answers to it, but I will try to find the
shortest. No, I am not perfect, I am too far from being perfect. We
all have a long way to go. His Holiness, too.

Aram Abrahamyan
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/10/19/162092/

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

Got the answer. Demon is technically incorrect, since he was summoned not from hell, but from the depths of the worst aspects of the Soviet system. I'd go for demon-like.

Why was Nicholay Tsaturyan meeting with the Minister of Culture

http://en.aravot.am/2013/10/18/162083

October 18 2013


Yesterday, iLur.am news website had released information the Minister
of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan by persuasion of His Holiness Karekin II
and by the order of the President Serzh Sargsyan is going to get rid
of the Artistic Director of Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre of
Gyumri, People's Artist of Armenia Nikolay Tsaturyan. The reason was
Nikolay Tsaturyan's sharp criticism voiced over the GALA TV regarding
the authorities of the country, oligarchs and the Catholicos, to whom
the artist called a demon. As conveyed by iLur.am, the Catholicos not
tolerating the criticism voiced against him, had complained to Serzh
Sargsyan urging him to punish the artist, and accordingly, Mr.
Tsaturyan, yesterday, was called to the Minister of Culture for
resignation. And, even though, yesterday, the People's artist had gone
to meet the Minister, however, Ms. Poghosyan refused to accept him.
Today, Aravot.am asked for clarifications on this noised issue from
the head of PR department of the Ministry of Culture Alla Serobyan.
The latter pointed out that all of this is disinformation, because
yesterday's meeting between the Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan
and Mr. Tsaturyan was planned long ago. `Before giving the interview,
Mr. Tsaturyan, still a few days ago, had asked for a meeting with the
Minister, and the Minister had appointed a day and an hour. The
meeting was supposed to take place yesterday, but since before the
meeting Mr. Tsaturyan had voiced unfounded comments, particularly with
regard to writing the resignation, therefore the minister refused to
accept him yesterday,' said Alla Serobyan. To our question of
clarification, whether the Catholicos has nothing to do with this,
Alla Serobyan said, `Of course, it is a fiction.' We also asked for a
clarification from Mr. Tsaturyan, as he was in Yerevan, we could not
be met, but he confirmed on the phone that he really had an
appointment for yesterday to meet with the Minister and to discuss
issues regarding the play `Monte' and a number of other issues, but
the minister had not accepted him. To our observation that according
to the ministry the reason was the comments made by you that you were
called to write a resignation, Mr. Tsaturyan said, `And where I have
made such a comment. I have not said such a thing. I've read about it
from the Facebook, and the media that they want to dismiss me from
work due to the complaints of the Catholicos. All of that is written
by the media and my comment is not there.' And as for his bold
statement, Nikolay Tsaturyan conveyed that he had voiced his opinion
as an artist, and a member of society. To note that many of Gyumri
intellectuals directly welcome Mr. Tsaturyan's speech, according to
their impression, the latter had conveyed the words of their hearts on
air, and they think that any person living and taking his office in
Gyumri should be as bold as Mr. Tsaturyan. The views of intellectuals
in detail will be available soon.


"Catholicos is not immune, let him apply to court, I do not accept his
personality and behavior either."

http://en.aravot.am/2013/10/19/162105/

October 19 2013

Recently, Artistic Director of Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre of
Gyumri Nikolay Tsaturyan had called Catholicos a devil over GALA TV.
After Nikolay Tsaturyan's these words, a big fuss was raised in the
media and social networks, because, according to widespread rumors,
Catholicos was offended, was angry at him and complained to Serzh
Sargsyan to dismiss him from the chair of the Artistic Director of the
Theatre. In this respect, in the interview with Aravot.am, to our
question whether Catholicos had the right to get offended from the
opinion of the intellectual, and to what extent he shares Nikolay
Tsaturyan's standpoint about Catholicos, General Secretary of
`Heritage' party Styopa Safaryan answered, `If it is not an abuse of
personal character, or it was not said in this sense, then Catholicos
should understand why not only Nikolay Tsaturyan but many others put a
label on him. Every person must understand what facts and motivations
are laid on the base of criticizing his personality, regardless of
whether you accept them or not. I do not want to say that Catholicos
earned the right to be offended, but Catholicos is not immune, nor
indisputable, consequently his behavior and action may become worthy
of criticism. Personally I do not accept his personality and his
behavior.' We clarified that you considered him a devil, Styopa
Safaryan replied, `I do not want to say with those words. Whatever he
does, or how he behaves in that status, is not the conduct of His
Holiness.' We were interested that this Catholicos is criticized a
lot, whether the society has become freer, or Catholicos is very
vulnerable, Styopa Safaryan replied, `Both. Of course, transparency of
information has increased, opinions are spread very quickly, and the
information is open. I think the control has been increased, but the
public has become matured and many taboos are already broken. For what
they would be shy and would not dare to talk about before, now these
taboos are no more available.' Styopa Safaryan also said that if
Catholicos thinks that he is slandered, he may apply to the court.
`What are the courts for? The courts are not only for us to apply and
be rejected. Let him apply to court.'


Hripsime JEBEJYAN

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Have our spiritual leaders lost their moral compass?

The demon speaks:

Armenian Church Head Bemoans Decline Of 'Traditional Values'

RFE/RL Armenia Report
07.01.2014

Catholicos Garegin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, has urged Armenians to stay loyal to the basic tenets of
Christianity in the face of what he called a decline in `traditional
family values' resulting from excessive freedom.

In a sermon read out during the Christmas Mass celebrated at the main
Armenian cathedral in Echmiadzin on Monday, Garegin said freedom of
expression is increasingly abused by people in Armenia and around the
world to the detriment of `the truth' embodied by Jesus Christ.

'Traditional family values are in retreat, and so is, in the face of
difficulties, the spirit of conscientiousness,' he said mid-way
through the liturgy broadcast live by leading Armenian TV
channels. `Unreserved behavior and insult are regarded as courageous;
responsibility is subordinated to rights. Frequently, the right to
express one's personal opinion is wrongly utilized to distort the
truth, in order to spread subjective or biased opinions.

`It is in this mentality that falsehood is veiled with a mask of
truth, debate becomes argument, discussion transforms into scorn and
condemnation, from which the Spirit of God's truth and the wisdom of
God move away; and we have difficulty - yes, even cease - to see the
good and the just; and faith and trust in one another, as well as hope
and optimism for the future, all weaken in our lives.'

Garegin also deplored aggressive human rights advocacy in and outside
Armenia, saying that it sometimes forces conservative societies to
`adopt behaviors that are contradictory with societal thinking and
value structures.' He did not specify those behaviors.

`It is in this manner that morality in the world cedes ground to
immorality, freedom of speech is transformed to licentiousness of
speech, and testimony becomes the distortion of truth,' added the
Catholicos. `The world shall be liberated of these life-agitating
realities when men accept the truth of Christ, when they witness the
presence of the Lord through their faithful works, and like the
Apostle, proclaim, `...the truth of Christ is in me!''

Although Garegin named no names, his critical remarks appeared to be,
at least in part, a broadside aimed at opposition and civic figures
increasingly critical of his leadership one of one of the world's
oldest churches. The critics are especially unhappy with his
reluctance to speak out against human rights abuses, government
corruption and injustice in the country. Some of them have also
denounced the pontiff for effectively siding with the current and
former Armenian governments in their standoffs with opposition forces.

In particular, Garegin came under opposition fire after endorsing the
official results of Armenia's February 2013 presidential election that
gave victory to the incumbent President Serzh Sarkisian. He personally
delivered a congratulatory message to Sarkisian together with several
other high-ranking clergymen the day after the disputed ballot. `Your
victory in the elections testifies to the fact that our people trust
your programs of reformation,' read the message.

The church leadership went on to criticize post-election street
protests organized in Yerevan by Raffi Hovannisian, the main
opposition presidential candidate who claimed to be the rightful
election winner. Hovannisian reacted angrily to the criticism. He
accused Garegin of `desecrating the Bible' by attending and blessing
Sarkisian's inauguration for a second term.