Archbishops Mikael, Bagrat, and Arshak issued a strong message ahead of the December 7 liturgy at Gyumri’s Yot Verk (Seven Wounds) Cathedral, which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is expected to attend.
No priests from the Shirak Diocese have agreed to participate in the ceremony. The archbishops emphasized that “Holy Yot Verk is miraculous and powerful, and will not forgive those who fight against God.”
In their statement, the archbishops denounced what they called a planned "seizure" of the cathedral by state forces acting under political orders. They accused the government of desecrating not only the diocesan seat but also the memory of the victims of the 1988 earthquake.
They added that such an act had not occurred even during the Turkish occupations of 1918 and 1920–21, or during Soviet-era repression in 1937–38. The archbishops warned that “the holy image of Yot Verk will not forgive those who stand against God.”
They further condemned any clergyman who, influenced by secular power, would conduct a “mass-like” ceremony in the canonical territory of an imprisoned spiritual leader, calling such an act a spiritual suicide. The archbishops praised Shirak Diocese’s priests for their loyalty to the Catholicos and their imprisoned leader, resisting intimidation and remaining faithful to their vows.
They urged clergy and faithful not to engage in conflict with those they termed “traitors,” but to raise prayers in other churches across the diocese.
The message ended with a biblical quote from Romans 12:11–12: “Be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, continue steadfastly in prayer.”
Separately, MP Garnik Danielyan, accompanied by fellow opposition lawmaker Argishti Gevorgyan, visited the National Security Service’s detention facility. While they met with Archbishops Bagrat Galstanyan and Mikael Ajapahyan, they were denied access to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.
Danielyan wrote on Facebook that Archbishop Arshak, detained in the same cell, was blocked from visitation. He stressed that the detained clergymen believe the state’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church is doomed to fail. He accused the authorities of attempting to pressure clergy into omitting the Catholicos’s name during the upcoming liturgy.
Danielyan described this as a sign of a regime that has lost legitimacy and now relies solely on force. He also noted Archbishop Bagrat’s appreciation for participants in the presentation of his book “Overcoming Ourselves,” which addresses Armenia’s key challenges.
On December 9, a court is set to review the terms of Archbishop Bagrat’s detention ahead of the upcoming Synod.
Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, was arrested on December 4 and has been placed in two-month pre-trial detention by Judge Masis Melkonyan. He is charged under Article 393, Part 2 (1) and (4) of the Criminal Code. According to his lawyer Arsen Babayan, no direct testimony has been presented against him.
The Investigative Committee revealed that during a review of unresolved past cases, authorities uncovered a 2018 incident involving alleged marijuana distribution within the Mother See’s administrative offices, prompting the current charges against Archbishop Arshak (birth name Samvel Khachatryan).
