The Armenian Church Should Immediately Defrock All Rebellious Clergymen — By Harut Sassounian
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United States, issued a highly controversial statement last week that caused further turmoil by aggravating the existing contentious relations between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Recently, Abp. Derderian also signed a joint statement with nine other dissident high-ranking clergymen and Prime Minister Pashinyan, calling for the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, under the guise of reforming the Church. It is absurd to believe that these rebellious clergy are capable of reforming the Church as some of them have committed grave immoral and criminal acts. The National Security Service has blackmailed them by threatening to make public their crimes and illicit affairs, thus forcing them to join Pashinyan’s anti-Church campaign.
After leading a six-month long failed campaign to force the resignation of the Catholicos, the Prime Minister switched tactics by pressuring a group of clergymen to join him in dislodging the Catholicos, thus causing a split within the Church.
There are several serious problems with what Pashinyan and the malcontent clergy are trying to do.
1) The Prime Minister is violating the constitutional principle of separation of Church and State by meddling in the Church’s internal affairs.
2) In recent Sundays, Pashinyan has backed certain defrocked “clergymen” by attending an unauthorized Divine Liturgy (Badarak) celebrated by them in a handful of churches in Armenia.
3) Bishop Gevork Saroyan, Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese in Armenia, filed a lawsuit against the Catholicos for replacing him. The judge, under Pashinyan’s orders, reinstated the Primate, thus violating Armenia’s constitution and the provisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The Armenian Apostolic Church should submit a complaint to the ECHR against the Armenian government for violating the European Court’s provisions which prohibit the State from interfering in internal Church decisions.
Abp. Derderian in his statement last week listed 11 reasons for opposing the Catholicos. Here are my counter-arguments.
Jesus Christ said: “He, who is without sin, cast the first stone” (John 8:7). Jesus also said: “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). No one is perfect in this world, including the Catholicos, but those who criticize him, should have clean hands themselves and, above all, tell the truth.
Abp. Derderian accused the Catholicos of:
1) Covering up an alleged indecent act by Archbishop Arshag, who has denied this baseless accusation. He has been wrongly arrested and jailed. The allegation of moral turpitude, even if true, is not a crime for which a person can be legally pursued by the government.
2) Urging a defrocked monk and his mother to participate in an anti-government protest. This is entirely false.
3) Not reacting to accusations of violating his vow of celibacy. Rumors are not proven facts, and not refuting a rumor is not proof of guilt. There are also rumors circulating about the Primate of the Western Diocese, yet he has not denied any of them.
4) Remaining silent after the National Security Service accused his brother, Archbishop Yezras, the Primate of Russia and New Nakhichevan, of being a foreign agent. This is another false accusation based on a forged document. However, Abp. Yezras has refuted the allegation.
5) Not disclosing the finances of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Abp. Derderian should be more concerned with the fact that the Western Diocese has built the St. Leon Cathedral Complex in Burbank, California, with tens of millions of dollars raised from the public, yet I don’t recall seeing a report of how the money was spent.
6) Shelving revised Church statutes that a reform committee headed by Abp. Derderian had drafted. Why did he not complain about this inaction all these years, and why is he raising his voice only now, after joining the Prime Minister’s political campaign against the Church?
7) Acting unilaterally. There are similar accusations about Abp. Derderian’s overbearing leadership style. For example, no one dares to speak up when he assigns clergy to positions without consulting the Diocesan Council.
8) Politicizing the Church and opposing the “state’s peace agenda.” The Church cannot remain silent witnessing Pashinyan’s destructive actions. He cannot bring peace by making endless concessions to Armenia’s enemies. The Church is not opposed to the State, but to the current authorities’ defeatist policies.
9) Conducting an underground media campaign to discredit his critics. Abp. Derderian is misrepresenting the Catholicos as a public relations expert.
10) Weakening the Church, “leaving the people in the clutches of the sects.” This is an ongoing issue since Armenia’s independence. It is wrong to blame solely the current Catholicos. Abp. Derderian should be more concerned with the problems in his own backyard, where there is widespread sectarian activity, prostitution, and drug addiction.
11) Conducting “anti-state confrontational policies.” This is a repeat of point 8. The Church is not “anti-state.” It is opposed to this regime, which is destroying the country.
In conclusion, Abp. Derderian is insincere in his criticisms of the Church. As Primate for 36 years (Canada: 1990-2003 and Western U.S.: 2003-present) and member of the Supreme Spiritual Council, he has submissively served the Catholicos without a single complaint until now.
All the issues that Abp. Derderian raised, right or wrong, should be discussed internally according to long-established Church procedures. Making the Church’s dirty laundry public harms the Armenian Apostolic Church and alienates worshippers.
It is neither in the interest of the Armenian Church nor the Armenian nation for Abp. Derderian to join the political campaign of Pashinyan, whose sole purpose is not reforming the Church, but prolonging his Prime Ministerial seat after the June Parliamentary elections.
Many believe that Abp. Derderian’s only reason for embarking on such an unwise course of action is that Pashinyan has promised to make him the next Catholicos.
The Western U.S. Diocesan Council should consider replacing Abp. Derderian by holding elections for a new Primate.
It is time for the Armenian Church to defrock Derderian and all the other clergymen who have violated their religious oaths and joined Prime Minister Pashinyan, who is willing to sacrifice the interests of the Church and State for the sake of his own political ambitions.
