This fragmentation behooves every single individual
Armenian or group to rise above those divisions, imposed by history or
unfortunate events, to realize that the survival of the nation requires
cohesion, organization and unifying moral foundations adhered to by all
segments of the nation. The moral high ground needs to be upheld by the clergy
as well as lay leadership.
But what we observe at the present time is the opposite —
disarray, chaos and confusion, where every authority is a fair target for
denigration. Criticism — and constructive criticism — certainly would be
welcome. But the Internet, which could have become a powerful tool to unify all
Armenians, has become a jungle where every indignity is fair game. We have
reached a point where freedom of speech has become a license to commit libel.
Therefore, any participation in raging diatribes — in
support of or against debating parties — would only exacerbate the situation.
But by the same token, to keep silent in view of unbridled self-serving
pontification will further block the way for sober and civilized discourse
aimed to resolve problems plaguing Armenians.
As we approach the threshold of the centennial of the
Armenian Genocide, unity becomes even more valuable, yet what we observe is
further fragmentation and a foolhardy approach toward any authority, dignity
and sanctity.
A Dangerous Precedent
The floodgate of the Internet has been thrown wide open
and the dirty laundry is abundantly displayed, under the guise of a democratic
right to express ideas.
We do not intend to dignify unsigned comments, hurled
insults and unsavory remarks by mentioning them here. But one brazen act should
worry all Armenians, because this time around, it comes from a quarter that is
one of the pillars of the Armenian Church, the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
The Armenian Church has held our people together over
many centuries. Since the loss of the homeland, the church has served as a
spiritual raft to keep our people afloat over turbulent waters. The hierarchy
of the church is the structure of the Armenian soul. Over the centuries, that hierarchy
has survived many challenges. Church leaders have had their differences and
conflicts. After all, they are human, too, but they have demonstrated the
wisdom and foresight to rise above personality differences and adversities in
order to preserve the integrity of that hierarchy for posterity. Once it is
shattered, Armenians will be reduced to disparate groups of nomads in this era
of globalization.
Today, unity of the church is fractured and all good-will
endeavors toward this end have thus far failed to heal the division.
The church rests on four main pillars: The Catholicosates
at Echmiadzin and Cilicia and the Patriarchates in Jerusalem and Istanbul.
The Turkish government will never allow any patriarch on
the throne of Istanbul who is willing to contribute to the unity and
strengthening of the Armenian Church. Instead, the clergy allowed to ascend
that throne have to serve as a political tool in the hands of the Turkish
government. That development became codified during the reign of the late Patriarch
Mesrob Moutafian, who literally and tragically succumbed to that pressure.
His Holiness Aram I of Antelias, a courageous vanguard of
the Armenian Cause and patron of the Western Armenian language and literature,
though still a hostage to the political powers behind his throne, has only
taken minor steps thus far towards unity, despite the demise of the Cold War
two decades ago. The conclave of high-ranking clergy planned for September
21-28, to be held in Echmiadzin, offered some hope to create coordination and
cooperation between Echmiadzin and Antelias, which would transcend all the
structures and hierarchy of the Armenian Church. As of this writing, those
hopes are dashed because the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Nourhan
Manoukian, has decided to boycott the gathering, for an unrelated reason.
His Beatitude was elected earlier this year. There were
some reservations about his candidacy and he won with a slim majority. At
least, that was a message that he did not enjoy the full support of the Brotherhood
of St. James; instead, he was elected to rule a house divided. That should have
guided him to put his house in order and prove to the Brotherhood that he
deserved their trust and could move the 14-centuries-old institution forward.
Messing with the authorities Is a Dangerous Game
But, unfortunately, he began his reign on the wrong foot,
with a politically-incorrect remark about Israeli authorities, who control the
destiny of the Patriarchate. Answering a question from a reporter, he dismissed
the importance of Israeli government’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
“It is not the end of the world if they don’t recognize it,” he is reported to
have said. And this, at the moment when the Patriarchate was waiting for the
approval of his ascension to the Jerusalem throne by the Israeli government.
The law requires that the election of the Jerusalem
patriarch be approved by the king of Jordan, the president of the Palestinian
Authority and the government of Israel. The Israeli government was the last
entity to approve his candidacy, certainly grudgingly, because of their
reservations about him.
The Holy Places in Jerusalem rest in one of the most
sensitive spots in the world. Every action of the Israeli government is
carefully calculated. The reputation and the status of the Patriarchate are at
stake when any thoughtless step is taken at the Patriarchate.
All Armenians worry — rightfully — about the patriarch
himself and the patriarchate as a whole. They must genuinely support the
patriarch to be able to navigate successfully through the minefield which
Jerusalem has come to be.
After carelessly snubbing the Israeli authorities, His
Beatitude has directed his ire this time at the Supreme Spiritual Head of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, with arguments which hold no rhyme nor reason.
Any patriarch, upon his election, traditionally makes a
pilgrimage to Holy Echmiadzin, to renew his vows at the throne of St. Gregory
the Illuminator. Instead, His Beatitude traveled to Antelias which demonstrably
issued a news release that he was at the Cilician See on personal business. His
ill-conceived missive followed a statement by the Dashnag party of France
attacking the Catholicos under the pretense of defending Archbishop Norvan
Zakarian. The connection and the conclusion do not need any interpretation.
His actions rightfully fueled suspicions that he was
being groomed by the powers behind the Cilician See to reinforce the divisive
policies of the Antelias See, paving the way to institutionalize the division
within the Armenian Church.
After all, since the Cold-War era, the political party
behind the See of Antelias has advocated that Holy Echmiadzin limit its
jurisdiction over the Dioceses in Armenia and the former Soviet Union and allow
Antelias to control the diaspora. This politically-motivated theory was
promoted first by Simon Vratsian, the last prime minister of the First Republic
and continues to be upheld by his followers, since Antelias refuses the
unification of the church in the diaspora.
Despite all the dangers of being labeled as communists —
during a dangerous period — the majority of the church continued their loyalty
to the traditional spiritual house of Echmiadzin.
Fears of the Brotherhood Materialized
In a very disrespectful letter dated August 3, 2013, His
Beatitude has taken on the Catholicos of All Armenians. The letter was
circulated for three days on the Internet before reaching the addressee, making
plainly obvious that the subject matter of the letter was only an excuse to air
his personal grudges against the Pontiff. The words and adjectives, carelessly
chosen, betray a dangerous stance for a clergyman. Accusations laid against
Karekin II by other irresponsible parties are irrelevant at this time.
The letter is full of contradictions. He is supposedly
defending Archbishop Norvan Zakarian, Primate of France, who had resigned from
his position and whose resignation was approved by the “disreputable” Supreme
Spiritual Council on July 31.
The letter begins with the statement: “I incidentally
received the communiqué of the Supreme Spiritual Council.” Whereas the two
patriarchs are officially co-chairs of the Council. To begin with, he has
failed to attend the council’s session which was the proper venue for the
patriarch to be informed and to express his views on those important issues.
But, instead, he blames his failures on others.
And then, he goes on to sermonize his superior with the
following presumptuous statement: “Your Holiness, allow me to tell you in a
brotherly fashion that threats do not become the clergy.”
It looks like he himself needs most of the advice he has
been dispensing freely to his superior, since at the end of his letter, he
directs the following threat to Echmiadzin: “I have decided not to participate
in the bishops’ convocation to be held on September 21-28” at Echmiadzin. He
further aggravates the situation by concluding his letter with the following
missive: “Although Archbishop Aris Shirvanian [of Jerusalem] will be attending,
he does not represent the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.”
Members of the Brotherhood are entitled to ask whether
this rash decision was taken at an official meeting at the Governing Council
(Dnoren Joghov) or it was the patriarch’s arbitrary decision.
Reading through the letter one is convinced that
Archbishop Norvan Zakarian’s resignation is the least of his worries. Instead,
he has another ax to grind. He refers to a letter which has no relevance to the
archbishop’s resignation, and yet which has touched him deeply. He remembers
His Holiness Karekin II’s letter to the late patriarch, Archbishop Torkom
Manoogian, advising him to appoint a coadjutor patriarch in view of the
latter’s incapacitating ailments.
Any member of our church, and especially the Supreme
Spiritual Head of the church, would rightfully worry about an incapacitated
member of the clergy bearing an awesome responsibility in the most dangerous
region of the world.
But it seems that Archbishop Nourhan Manoukian has
perceived that suggestion as a ploy to bypass his candidacy in a succession
process.
If, indeed, that was the intention of His Holiness in
hindsight, Archbishop Nourhan Manoukian has vindicated His Holiness, through
his disrespectful outburst and dangerous political missteps.
- See more at:
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2013/08/29/anarchy-in-the-hierarchy/#sthash.JEyvs4WO.dpuf
Response to E. Azadian’s
‘Anarchy in the Hierarchy’
Rev. Dr. V. Nerses Nersessian, London UK, 17 September
2013
I have read Mr. Azadian’s above inappropriately titled
article. The author has injected poisonous nonsense into the debate about the
governance of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church by circumventing all the
serious issues and resorting to fatally-flawed clichés. In a stampede to
retrieve the situation, Mr. Azadian has pushed all the wrong and worn out
arguments – the Genocide, ‘Cold War’ sentiments, and the Antelias-Etchmiadzin
crisis.
The reason why the Armenian people have raised their
voices is because the only unifying institution based on moral foundations is
being governed by the Catholicos, and not by the Episcopal Synod according to
the long held canons of the church. The hierarchy of the Church is not the soul
of the Armenian people. The soul of the Armenian nation is its Church, Holy,
Apostolic and Orthodox, upon which the hierarchies of Holy Etchmiadzin,
Cilicia/Antelias, Jerusalem and Constantinople/Istanbul were founded on to
protect and preserve "without blemish in spiritual love and one
accord".
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem and its Brotherhood have
been a principal source of our faith for nearly 1,500 years. Over the
centuries, countless Armenians have made pilgrimages to the Holy City, prayed
and renewed their Christian vows on the shrine of St James, Brother of Our
Lord. During the most critical times in the history of our Church the noble
clergy (Patriarchs Yeghishe Turian, Torkom Koushagian, Guregh Israelian) have
kept the flame of St. Gregory’s lantern alight.
When the late locum tenens of the Catholicosate of
Etchmiadzin, the Patriarch of Jerusalem Torkom Manoogian passed away, the
Catholicos did not attend his funeral. Failure to attend was disrespectful to
the members of the Jerusalem Brotherhood, who hold high and responsible
positions in the west. He also failed to attend the enthronement of Nourhan
Manougian the present Patriarch of Jerusalem. The latter needs the visible
support of Holy Etchmiadzin. His absence also diminished the status of the
Patriarchate in the eyes of the hostile Israeli government.
His Grace Archbishop Mesrop Moutafian, Patriarch of
Constantinople succumbed to his present state due to his spending several years
in prison for his stance against the Turkish government, and not because of
being a “political tool in the hands of" that government as Azadian
alleges. Likewise, the antagonism of the Israeli government toward the
Patriarch of Jerusalem arises from the courageous stance he has taken on the
question of the Armenian Genocide.
There is no tradition of a newly- elected Patriarch of
Jerusalem making a pilgrimage to Holy Etchmiadzin to renew his vows at the
throne of St Gregory, as Mr. Azadian suggests. The Patriarch takes and renews
his vows at the shrine of the Apostle St. James, Brother of Our Lord.
No serious observer believes that the survival of an
individual is much more important than the integrity of our Church, the oldest
institution of the Armenian nation. The cavalier approach of Karekin II is
unraveling and the conspiracy theories expounded by Mr. Azadian to defend the
Catholicos are disingenuous. There is obvious cronyism on the part of Mr.
Azadian, a lifelong beneficiary of the organization he represents who defends
his patron and ally rather than heed the cry of the people, who for the first
time, after 75 years, have come together in defense of their Mother Church.
Political conformity has for long been the cause of
ill-health for the Armenian Church. Even before the Russian Revolution, the
Church
and the State in Armenia existed in a sort of unified
harmony, which was not always pleasing to the church. After the Revolution, the
Church fell silent. During the time of repression and extreme persecution
nobody expressed political views. To start to think politically, and to speak
of politics from within the Church, will require a long and deep period of
learning. The Church cannot belong to one party or another. It must be the
voice of conscience, permeated with the light of God. Ideally, the Church must
be in a position to speak for every party, for every point of view, to say,
'this is worthy of Man and God, and this is not worthy of Man and God’.
It is not the Catholicos who imparts prestige and
authority to the Catholicosate. But the Catholicosate, with its 1,700 years of
heritage and 131 Catholicoi, whose witness has been tested by sweat and blood
that imparts authority and prestige to the Holy See. It is the sacred oath of
every new Catholicos to uphold and enrich that heritage. Rev. Dr. V. Nerses
Nersessian Vrej.nersessian@ntlworld.com
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