The catholicos and the bells of Etchmiadzin remained silent

Vaհe H Apelian

The title of this blog is a quote from Raffy Aldhaldjian’s post on September 30, 2023. The sentence reads as follows: “We are alone and must rely only on our own strength. Let the church bells ring.” I have attached a screenshot of his text below, in my blog.

September 20, 2023, is a deeply significant and somber date for Armenians, marking the day the self-declared Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Russia that effectively led to its military defeat and dissolution.

Five years ago, on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale blitzkrieg attack on Armenia supported Artskah, marking the start of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Throughout those five years, Catholicos Karekin II remained silent and did not have the bells of Etchmiadzin ring. He remained silent throughout the conflict to this day. Simply said, Baruyr Sevag’s “Un-silence-able Belfry” (Անլռելի Զանգակատուն), have been silent under Catholicos Karekin II, when the nation needed it most. I am not speaking figuratively but in actuality. 

The silence of the Catholicos seating in Etchmiadzin and not come in defense of the government the people of Armenia have elected to lead them with their consent, is simply inexcusable.

To make my point I cite the following momentous events during the last five years, when the bells of Etchmiadzin should have rung in moral support of the Armenian state waging an existential battle, but did not.  

Catholicos Karekin II and the bells of Etchmiadzin remained were silent on October 29, 2020.

Five weeks into the war, on October 29, 2020, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan addressed the nation from the Ghazanchetsots Church in Shushi, declaring that Shushi, the "beating heart of all Armenians" is waging an existential battle.  In his address, he emphasized that, the enemy's main goal was to occupy Shushi. Loosing Shushi meant loosing Artsakh.  the Armenian people needed to unite and directly participate in the city's defense. The address was delivered at a critical period. The fact that the address was delivered from the Ghazanchetsots Church, made it evident that the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, had entered a very critical phase. 

The bells of Etchmiadzin and the catholicos Karekin II remained silent.

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Catholicos Karekin II and the bells of Etchmiadzin remained were silent on on September 20, 2023

Raffy Aldahaldjian's post on September 20, 2023

                  September 20, 2023, is a deeply significant and somber date for Armenians, marking the day the self-declared Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Russia that effectively led to its dissolution and eraser of thousands of years of Armenian presence in the region. “We are alone and we should rely only on our strength. Le the bells of the church ring”.

The bells of Etchmiadzin and the catholicos Karekin II remained silent.

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The catholicos and the bells of Etchmiadzin were silent on June 3, 2023

On June 3, 2023, the PM of Armenia flew to Ankara to attend the celebration of Erdogan’s election. When I saw his picture of the PM in the enemy’s den, I could not bring myself to remain silent, and posted  on my Facebook page, “May God help the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and give me him fortitude, courage in pain and in adversity, as he deals with powerful, arrogant, SOBs. Asdouatz hedt varchabed - Աստուած հետդ վարչապետ”.

The bells of Etchmiadzin and the catholicos Karekin II remained silent.

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The catholicos and the bells of Etchmiadzin were silent on June 20, 2025

On June 20, 2025, the PM of Armenia paid an official visit to Türkiye at the official invitation of the president Erdogan. I expected if not only the bells of the Armenian Church ring, but surely the church would render prayer services for a safe trip and successful conclusion of that historic meeting.

Catholicos Karekin II and the bells of Etchmiadzin remained silent.

The Catholicos had the Bells of Etchmiadzin rang against the Armenian State!

But I would like to note the following exception. The bells of Etchmiadzin did ring under Catholicos Karekin II, but AGAINST the Armenian state

On June 27, 2025, Etchmiadzin, surely at the request of Catholicos Karekin II, Etchmiadzin rang its bells against the State of Armenia. It happened, when masked officers from National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia gathered at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to detain Archbishop Mikael Achabahian, who is the Primate of the Shirak Diocese of the Church of Armenia. The archbishop surrendered to the authorities without incident. 

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. We have been running our own state since September 21, 1991. It is expected that the emerging nascent state of Armenia, will have its trials and tribulations that we need to overcome.

 Catholicos Karekin II does not have the temperament, the character, to have the Armenian Apostolic Church toil hand in hand with the Armenian State to secure for posterity, a free, independent, and a democratic republic. Apparently, the interests of Catholicos Karekin II and the influential segment of high-ranking clergy in Etchmiadzin, lie elsewhere; to secure for themselves unconstitutional power, be it with the  collusion of foreign powers.