Interrupted Mission


The Ministry of Defense suspended the activities of the Institute of Chaplaincy of the Armed Forces in February. The government interpreted this decision as a step towards secularization of the army and separation from religious structures. How reasonable is this government claim, what problem were the clergy in the army actually solving, and what was the real reason for this decision by the Ministry of Defense?

The court hearing in the case of Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan was held without the victims


Defrocked Aramayis Tokhmazyan and Stepan Asatryan did not appear in court. According to the accusation, Bishop Mkrtich forced the clergy of the diocese to participate in rallies organized against the Prime Minister, and during the 2021 elections, he instructed them not to vote for the ruling party. The Holy Father denies the accusation. Lawyers describe it as political persecution.
 

The government falsely appointed Arman Saroyan as a member of the commission for discussing pardon issues


Arman Saroyan was appointed a member of the “Consultative Commission for Discussing Pardon Issues” as a representative of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. The Mother See announced that the appointment was made without the consent of the Armenian Apostolic Church and violates the legislation of the Republic of Armenia. A representative of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in a state or any other structure can only be appointed with the blessing and privilege of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians. And the declared deposed Bishop Gevorg is not authorized and cannot represent the Armenian Church either from a canonical, legal or moral point of view.
 

The faithful people today once again heard the life-giving gospel from the lips of His Holiness


The greatest miracle in history, the Resurrection of Christ, brings thousands of Armenians to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. This day is a holiday of universal joy and rebirth. The faithful people participate in the Patriarchal Liturgy in the Mother Cathedral, receive the message of His Holiness and once again hear from the lips of the Patriarch the life-giving gospel: “Christ is risen from the dead.”
 

The Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated in the Mother Church of St. Gregory of Narek in Vanadzor


The Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection was served by the diocesan leader, Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan. The faithful, together with the Bishop, asked for a blessing from the Lord so that they would remain strong in their faith with the life-giving grace of the Holy Resurrection. At the end of the Liturgy, the festive mood of the day continued with folk songs and dances in the courtyard of the Church of St. Gregory of Narek. The handmade works of 7 masters of the Henrik Igityan National Aesthetic Center and the students of the diocesan “Tun” social-educational center were presented in the pavilions placed in the courtyard.

 

The bells of the Armenian Apostolic Church heralded the miraculous resurrection of Christ


A festive liturgy of Candlemas was served in the Mother Cathedral, after which the patriarchal procession moved to the candlelight hall to convey the life-giving light of the feast of the Holy Resurrection to the believers.

Penitential Rite Performed at the Mother See


The Penitential Rite is an opportunity to be cleansed of sins. It is after this rite that the faithful become worthy of Holy Communion. Those who have passed the period of Great Lent with penance go to church early in the morning, at 7:30, where the Penitential Rite is performed at the end of the liturgy. During this beautiful ceremony, rich in psalms and hymns, the faithful are granted absolution so that after forty days of fasting they can approach Holy Communion.

 

Holy Thursday is the most solemn day in the church’s liturgy


At 7:30 a.m., a service of hours and absolution of penitents were held at the Mother See, after which Father David celebrated the Divine Liturgy. It was on Holy Thursday that Jesus established the sacrament of Holy Communion. Holy Thursday is one of the few days of Great Lent when the curtain of the tabernacle is opened, an open Liturgy is celebrated, and communion is given. Communion is one of the main sacraments of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
 

A festive Liturgy was served at the Holy Mother of God Church in Gavar


The Palm Sunday is one of the favorite feasts of the Gavar people, for which the faithful are preparing with joy, reliving the enthusiasm with which the people welcomed Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. After the morning service and the Andastan service, the blessed branches were distributed to the faithful. At the Holy Mother of God Church, the clergy and the Bible Society presented hundreds of children with Bibles.

 

After receiving treatment in Calcutta, the disabled soldier returned


In July, the Catholicos of All Armenians was attracted by the prayer of a 6-year-old child in the Mother Cathedral. The Armenian Patriarch blessed the boy and did not miss the serious health condition of the child's father. Later, the child's father was invited to the Mother See and, at the direction of the Patriarch, was sent to India for prosthetics. On March 25, the Armenian Patriarch received the family of the disabled soldier who returned from Calcutta. Dozens of injured soldiers are being treated and prosthetics are being made in the best medical institutions abroad with the direct assistance of His Holiness Karekin II, the Patriarch of All Armenians.
 

The court lifted the house arrest of Archbishop Mkrtich


Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, the Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, has been released from house arrest. On March 17, Judge David Dabaghyan of the Aragatsotn Regional Court of General Jurisdiction lifted the house arrest. The court imposed new restrictions on Bishop Mkrtich: administrative supervision and a ban on absence.

 

The deacons' graduation speeches will be published as a contribution to the field of theology


With the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, three students of the practical and historical-doctrinal stream defended their master's theses in the ceremonial hall of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary. Deacon Kajik Yeghoyan made a comparative analysis between Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Deacon David Ghambaryan touched upon the ethics of Christianity and one of the main philosophical directions of the Hellenistic period - Stoic ethical approaches. Deacon Mayis Ghazaryan examined the ritual and theology of the Feast of the Ascension.