Father Yesayi Artenyan, director of the Mother See’s Information System, responded to allegations concerning property and buildings belonging to the Church, saying that portraying buildings allocated to the Mother See as the personal property of the Catholicos is a shameful lie. He made the remarks in a post on his Facebook page.
“Turning issues concerning the preservation and use of property belonging to the Church into personal accusations against the Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as portraying buildings and structures allocated to the Mother See as the personal property of the Armenian Patriarch, is an obvious manipulation and a shameful lie.
“False claims about the ‘seizure of public buildings and their transformation into ruins or businesses,’ as well as the publication of photographs of those buildings, give no one the right to make blatant falsehoods and unfounded accusations.
“Statements about protecting children’s educational interests are also unconvincing when the authorities themselves obstruct initiatives serving those interests. A telling example is the implementation of a new educational center under the TUMO Center program initiated by the Mother See: this initiative, aimed at providing modern education to around 2,500 children and teenagers, is facing artificial obstacles created by the municipal authorities.
“The extensive construction and restoration work carried out during the tenure of the Catholicos of All Armenians, aimed at preserving and enriching the national spiritual and cultural heritage, is clear and visible evidence of the Church’s consistent efforts. Remaining silent about these realities distorts the truth and misleads the public,” Father Yesayi said.
