Armenian Patriarchate’s Holy Synod Fails to Invite Key Members to General Assembly Amid Escalating Transparency Concerns
By 301
Jerusalem — In a move drawing sharp concern from ecclesiastical observers and insiders alike, the Holy Synod of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has reportedly refused to invite bishops and clergy serving abroad from attending the upcoming General Assembly of the St. James Brotherhood, which serves as the governing clerical order of the Patriarchate, scheduled for May, a gathering considered vital amid mounting institutional strain.
The information was leaked to 301 by a member of the Holy Synod. The omission, viewed by some as calculated obfuscation, has left both local and international members in a vacuum of uncertainty.
The decision to restrict participation has been interpreted by many within the Brotherhood as part of a pattern—one marked by opacity, insularity, and evasion of accountability. Unresolved crises, including the Cows’ Garden land controversy, pending taxation liabilities, financial mismanagement, and the question of successorship within the Patriarchate, remain conspicuously unaddressed.
At a moment when the integrity and future leadership of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem hang in the balance, the calculated sidelining of a select group is seen by critics as a betrayal—not only of transparency and inclusion—but of the foundational unity the Brotherhood purports to uphold.
