Farewell to Archbishop Sargsyan of Tatev at St. Gayane Monastery


A Divine Liturgy was served, during which the last rites of consecration were performed. During the ceremony, Archbishop Shahan anointed the forehead and right hand of the deceased clergyman. In the Armenian Church, the last rites of consecration are performed only for ordained clergymen. Under the leadership of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the clergy of the Armenian Church paid their respects and bid farewell to the devoted clergyman, sending him off to eternal rest in the 85th year of his life.

 

The spiritual life of the Holy Mother of God Church in Nork is disrupted


The community of the Holy Mother of God Church in the first district of Nor Nork is now divided into two parts: the majority of believers no longer visit this holy place, the reason being the joining of the spiritual pastor Father Ashot Safaryan's anti-church campaign. The once active and united community is now, in essence, fragmented, the spiritual pastor's decision to join the anti-church campaign has caused great harm to the community's residents.

 

A joint service was held at the St. Hakob Church in Mrgavan


The clergy of the Aragatsotn and Masyatsotn dioceses and pilgrims from different communities participated in a joint liturgy at the St. Hakob Church in Mrgavan. They prayed for the imprisoned Archbishop Bagrat, Archbishop Michael, and Archbishop Mkrtich, as well as for the peace of the country, the strengthening of the Armenian Church, and the spiritual life of the faithful. They believe that joint prayers become a spiritual shield during difficult trials and help the clergy and faithful in distress to feel that they are not alone in their trials.

The clergy of the Aragatsotn Diocese and pilgrims participated in the evening service at Saghmosavank


The clergy of the Aragatsotn Diocese, together with the faithful, prayed for the stability of the church, the longevity of the life of the Armenian Patriarch, for the holy saints Mkrtich, Bagrat, Michael, Arshak, benefactor Samvel Karapetyan, and for the Armenians who are illegally imprisoned and in captivity. The services, held every Thursday, are performed with the blessing of the diocesan leader, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan.
 

Criminal proceedings against Catholicos may hinder the organization of the bishops’ assembly: lawyer


Member of the Supreme Spiritual Council Gevorg Danielyan fears that the proceedings initiated by the Investigative Committee against the church for failure to execute the judicial act may put the bishops’ assembly to be convened in Austria in February under attack. His Holiness Gevorg was declared deposed on January 27, and on January 29 it became known that the Investigative Committee had initiated proceedings against the church. He considers the claim that the Supreme Spiritual Council adopted a directive specifically to allegedly hinder the judicial act to be unfounded. He argues that the church has the authority to make decisions and if there are sufficient grounds for it, on the contrary, not executing it can be problematic.

Archimandrite Ruben Zargaryan performed the blessing of the youth


The Sunday liturgy at the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Vedi was celebrated by the newly appointed vicar of the prelate Archimandrite Ruben Zargaryan. He was recently appointed vicar of the of the Masyatsotn Diocese, when the Mother See dismissed and declared the former prelate defrocked. Since his appointment, Archimandrite Ruben has been celebrating liturgies in the churches of the diocese and getting to know the faithful of the communities. After the liturgy, the faithful gathered around Archimandrite Ruben and assured him that they are the protector and supporter of the Mother Church in this time of trials.

Archbishop Bagrat Delivers Letter to US Vice President Joy De Vance


President of the International Christian Solidarity Organization, human rights activist John Aiburn, believes that the attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church should concern all Christians. The organization arrived in Armenia to conduct a fact-finding mission. Prior to this, the delegation arrived in Armenia in November to document the pressure exerted by the authorities on the ministers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, benefactor Samvel Karapetyan, as well as opposition figures. During the meeting with the delegation, Archbishop Bagrat delivered a letter to the participants of the International Religious Freedom Summit and US Vice President Joy De Vance.

The issue of the detention of the Primate of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Michael, was examined in the Court of Appeals


In the Court of Appeals, the defenders of Archbishop Michael demanded a new judicial act and recognition of the innocence of the bishop, while the prosecution demanded that the bishop be kept behind bars for another six months. The court will make a decision on the measure of restraint for the bishop at the next court hearing.
 

Anti-Church Campaign Raised at International Religious Freedom Summit


At the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, Samvel Karapetyan’s lawyer Aram Vardevanyan presented details of the ethnic cleansing carried out in Artsakh, the vandalism of Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage by Azerbaijanis, the Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku prisons, and the illegalities committed against Samvel Karapetyan, who was detained for defending the church. The lawyer described the anti-church campaign launched by the Armenian government as an unimaginable phenomenon.
 

Anti-Church Campaign is a Gross Violation of Religious Freedom and Constitutional Order: FOREF Europe


The aggressive actions taken by the government against the Armenian Apostolic Church and the violations of the rights of the church have been condemned by the “Forum for Religious Freedom in Europe”, FOREF Europe. An article was published in the X newspaper, where international experts described the anti-church campaign as a gross violation of religious freedom and constitutional order.
 

The Court of Appeal replaced the preventive measure of Archbishop Michael with house arrest


The court forbade the bishop from leaving home, receiving guests, making telephone calls and conducting correspondence. Archbishop Michael appealed to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the violation of his rights. The complaint states facts of illegal detention, violation of freedom of expression, as well as deprivation of liberty and criminal prosecution for political purposes.
 

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the memory of the priests of St. Ghevondyan


On the occasion of the memory of the priests of St. Ghevondyan, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Mother Cathedral under the presiding authority of the Catholicos of All Armenians, which was attended by 217 clergymen serving in dioceses and church structures. After the Liturgy, an award ceremony for priests took place. Father Yesayi Artenyan was awarded the honor of senior priesthood from the Mother See, and Father Daniel Garajyan from the Armenian Diocese of Bulgaria. 30 priests were granted the right to wear a floral phylon, and 13 priests were granted the right to wear a priestly cross.