Serzh Sargsyan condemns protest at Mother See

Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has strongly condemned recent developments at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, as “betrayal” and “an attack on our faith”.

“It was betrayal, an encroachment on our faith, nothing else,” he told reporters before a court hearing on Friday.

On Thursday, rival gatherings were held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, both in support of and against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. Large numbers of citizens, as well as political, public and cultural figures, gathered to express their support for Karekin II.

The protest opposing the church leader was organized by ten bishops aligned with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The clerics arrived later than the time originally announced and stated that they had submitted a letter to the church’s secretariat calling for the Catholicos’s resignation.

“Our mission at this stage is complete,” said Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Diocese of the Baltic States. “Next time, we will be here together with you, to pray in the Mother Cathedral for the strengthening and enlightenment of our people, our nation and the clergy.”

During his speech, some members of the crowd shouted “Judas”. At the same time, a church service was taking place inside the Etchmiadzin cathedral. In his address, Catholicos Karekin II urged “our venerable clergy who have gone astray to return to the canonical path and act exclusively in accordance with the sacred order of our Holy Church, for the sake of our people and our homeland.”