Vaհe H Apelian
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| the bell towers of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. |
Etchmiadzin, surely at the request of Catholicos Karekin II, rang its bells yesterday against the State of Armenia. I do not believe there has been a time when the Church of Armenia rang its bells against its own state. It would be educational to learn if the Church of Armenia has rang its bells against the Armenian state at any time in history.
It happened yesterday 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.
This blog is the evolution of my previous two blogs regarding the church bells of Etchmiadzin that remained silent on July 4, 2023, when the PM of Armenia flew to Ankara to attend the celebration of Erdogan’s election. When I saw his picture in the enemy’s den, I could not bring myself to remain silent, and posted “May God help the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pachinyan and give me him fortitude, courage in pain and in adversity, as he deals with powerful, arrogant, SOBs. Asdouatz hedt varchabed - Աստուած հետդ վարչապետ”. But the Church of Armenia was silent. (see link 1)
The bells of the Church of Armenia remained silent on June 2025, when the PM of Armenia paid an official visit to Türkiye at the official invitation of the president Erdogan. I expected not only the bells of the Armenian Church ring its bells, but also the church offer prayer services for a safe trip and successful conclusion of that historic meeting. (see link 1)
My next blog about Church of Armenia's silent bells was about my bewilderment at finding that the bells of the Church of Armenia not only remained silent at these historically momentous occasions, and did not offer special church services for the head of ostensibly the first Christian state embarking on these historically significant journeys. On the contrary, it turned out the Archbishop Pagrat Galstanyan, surely with the approval if not the blessing of the Cathlicos Karekin II, was conspiring with secular forces to bring down the elected government by orchestrating a series of subversive violent actions to create a turmoil in the country to violently occupy government likely with outside forces, namely Russia that maintains an army base in Armenia. Their documented plan of action, the subversive message Archbishop gave to his fellow conspirators, the materiel they had amassed to bring about carnage and create violence are truly mind boggling coming from an Armenian churchman against his own state.
Yesterday, for the very first time as far as I know, the Church of Armenia rang its bells inviting the faithful citizens of Armenia who have put their blind trust onto Etchmiadzin, to stand against their own state that is doing its job, bringing law and order for assuring the daily safe conduct of its citizens as they make their living in Armenia.
The former Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia has a long way to go to morph into a constitutionally governed, free, independent, and democratic republic.
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Link 1: “The Bells of Church of Armenia were silent” –
Link 1: “The Bells of Church of Armenia were silent, but ….” –
I agree with your perspective. However, I would like to make the following observation: Four-five years ago, I wrote an article which listed some 35 failings of the Catholicos. In the list were his "marital" status, his offspring, and the Yerevan apartment where he met his paramour. When I knew so much of the Catholicos' sins, corruption, and incompetence, it would be safe to assume Pashinyan (ex-journalist) would know much more. Why didn't in the past five years Pashinyan talk about the Catholicos' trespasses?
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