Nathan Archbishop Hovhannisyan, director of the External Relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, stressed in remarks to reporters that the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is a 1,700-year-old institution with a worldwide presence, rather than merely a local organization.
“The Church is the soul of our nation; the state and the people are the body, while the Church is the soul. The Church is neither ENA nor a wellness center that can be ‘dekulakized’ in а Bolshevik way, nationalized or have their own manager appointed to run it,” the archbishop said, http://Factor.am reports.
Asked whether the Catholicos could have attended without an invitation, Archbishop Nathan responded: “You’re talking as if the Catholicos were one of the guys from your neighborhood who isn’t doing his job. That’s not how it works.”
He also stressed that any self-respecting person does not go anywhere without an official invitation, especially when it comes to the Catholicos of All Armenians.
The Mother See representative also responded to claims about possible links between the Church and foreign intelligence services.
“What does it mean to say the Church has ties to the FSB? Why, for example, not the CIA? Why not MI6? It’s no secret that I am a British citizen, so why am I not being described as an MI6 agent? I asked the same question of my ambassador and consul here,” Archbishop Nathan said, describing such accusations as simply absurd.
At the same time, he added: “If Armenia was under Russian rule, then today’s authorities are the remnants of that rule.”
Addressing claims that a photograph of businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan is displayed in the Pontifical Residence, Archbishop Nathan explained that the building’s complete renovation and furnishing were carried out thanks to Samvel Karapetyan’s philanthropy.
“We show respect and gratitude to our benefactors everywhere. Go to the Matenadaran — there are photographs of Vache and Tamar Manukyan, as well as photographs of other benefactors. That is gratitude, nothing else,” the archbishop concluded.
