In Quest Of The Magnificence Of The Armenian Apostolic Church. Announcement

The holy Armenian Apostolic Church has had and still has its unique and irreplaceable place in Armenian reality, because it is undeniably one of the fundamental pillars of our ethnic identity. For many centuries, it has, not only, gifted us with vital spiritual leadership, but also an exceptionally rich culture. When enemies have deprived us of statehood and have attempted to enslave us, it is the Armenian Apostolic Church that has inspired us with unwavering Christian faith, the hope for continued existence, as well as the drive and motivation for the struggle for survival.

In our ethnic concept, our holy church has this most sacramental role and place. For this very reason the welfare and purity of the Armenian Apostolic Church are amongst the primary concerns of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party. According to the principles of the ADLP, the Armenian Apostolic Church should be led by the exemplary model of our many blessed clerics, such as Gregory the Illuminator, Sahak Partev, the ecclesiastic chroniclers, Gregory of Narek, Nerses the Gracious, Gregory the Chainbearer Patriarch, Nerses of Ashtarak, Mkrtich Khrimian, Yeghishe Patriarch Tourian, Vazgen I and others. They have illuminated our apostolic church and have been recorded in history as GREAT Armenians.

Today, like many of the spiritual institutions, and in a complicated world, the Armenian Church is also facing new challenges. In the past, Our church has had to assume certain state roles due to the absence of political leadership, and at present, as it has done for many centuries it has particularly dedicated itself to the promotion of education, culture and the preservation of ethnicity, in Armenia and the Diaspora.

Regrettably today, our most sacred institution finds itself in an undesirable situation. Although during the past few decades, many churches were built in Armenia, the Russian Federation, in Europe and the Americas, many alarming criticisms are being heard almost from everywhere, specifically about Holy Etchmiadzin and its leading high-ranking officials. It is no longer possible to ignore the heartfelt and legitimate concerns and criticisms of the faithful followers of the Armenian Church.

Something, somewhere is definitely wrong, and as they say, where there is smoke there is fire. The criticizers are not enemies of the church, they are very knowledgeable personalities who are demanding reform, the reinstatement of rule and order, the rectification of the ways of life, the conduct and customs of the members of the clergy. Large-scale falsifications and activities inappropriate to the ranks of the clergy have been revealed.

As a consequence of all these reasons, many young Armenians, have lost their belief and trust, are departing from our ancient church and our Christian faith, and on the increase are schismatic sects and man-hunters, who are blemishing and disrupting our character by distorting our identity with the anti-nationalist ideologies they preach. The issue has acquired such severity, that in our assessment, it has developed into a matter of national security.

The ADLP expresses its deep anxiety concerning this situation created within the Armenian Apostolic Church and proposes that without any further delay an independent representative committee is formed, consisting of clerical and lay representatives from both Armenia and the Diaspora, so that an extraordinary ecclesiastical supreme council is convened to rectify the present inglorious situation within the Armenian Church. 

ARMENIAN DEMOCRATIC LIBERAL PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Raffi Balian | Secretary
Michael Kharabian | Chairman