Illegal actions against AAC weaken resilience and lead to its loss - statement
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The statement was initiated in connection with the attacks of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and his entourage on the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), as well as the threats and insults against the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and other high-ranking clergy.
The statement emphasizes that these actions not only insult dignity, but also violate human rights, and grossly contradict the norms of public ethics. "In the context of military conflicts in the region and dangerous events unfolding near Armenia, the authorities, instead of joining forces to confront serious challenges and strengthen state and public resistance, are carrying out destructive anti-church actions inside the country. In fact, a campaign of the authorities to incite hatred towards the Church has been initiated, which is systematic and is carried out by abusing the status of the Prime Minister," the statement says.
In addition, it is emphasized that such actions contradict the Constitution of Armenia and do not correspond in any way with the legislative requirement on the inadmissibility of state interference in the activities of religious organizations. The actions of the Armenian authorities, according to the statement, also grossly violate internationally recognized requirements for the protection of the right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution of Armenia.
"The Church has the right to its own internal governance in accordance with the rules and sacred traditions formed over the centuries. No state body or official has the authority to interfere in the internal affairs of the Church," the statement emphasizes.
The conference participants also drew attention to the fact that the actions of the Armenian authorities against the Church echo the false propaganda theses of the Azerbaijani authorities. In this regard, they called on the competent authorities to take adequate measures to immediately prevent the illegal actions of the Prime Minister and his entourage, as well as to apply appropriate measures against the registered cases of violation.
"The Holy Armenian Apostolic Church is the citadel of our faith, identity and unity, the pillar of our nation's existence. To strike at the Church and try to discredit this sacred institution means to undermine the country's security and serve the interests of anti-Armenian forces. As devoted sons of the Church, we will use all possible legal means to protect our Church and cherished national values from all kinds of attacks," the statement concluded.
Since May 29, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his associates have been systematically attacking the Armenian Apostolic Church. This campaign began when, at a government meeting, Pashinyan compared Armenian churches to closets where "all sorts of junk" is stored. Then followed his statements on social networks, where the Armenian prime minister used coarse language against the hierarchs of the AAC and accused one of the archbishops of sexual promiscuity. At the same time, the Prime Minister demanded that all priests who violated their vow of celibacy be defrocked. Similar attacks were made by the Prime Minister's wife, Anna Hakobyan, who called the Patriarch "the main mafioso." Pyashinyan then called for "effective steps" that would lead to the replacement of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and announced the creation of a special coordination group for "the liberation of the Residence of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin" and the settlement of organizational issues for holding new elections for the Catholicos. Pashinyan clarified that followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church can become members of the Coordination Group. At the same time, the Prime Minister intends to choose the first 10 members of the Coordination Group himself.
These actions of Pashinyan are unconstitutional in nature, and according to lawyers, are an attempt to overthrow the constitutional order in the country.