Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia has issued a message urging the Armenian authorities to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin and from sowing division within the Church.

Asked to respond to Aram I’s statement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan told Aysor.am : “I am not the one to comment on Catholicos Aram I’s remarks. Please contact the Mother See for a comment.”

In his statement, Aram I said: “We call on the authorities of Armenia to stay away from interfering in the internal life and affairs of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, and to refrain from unconstitutional, and thus unacceptable and condemnable actions aimed at sowing division within the Church, which could lead our Church, nation, and Homeland toward self-destruction.”

Earlier, in a sermon at the Holy Mother of God Church in Nicosia, Cyprus, Aram I had declared: “When injustice occurs in Armenia, Antelias says no. When values are disregarded and symbols ignored, Antelias says no, and has always said no. When the Church and clergy in Armenia are subjected to various forms of persecution and arrest, Antelias has had and continues to have the courage to say no. When supreme national ideals are ignored to the detriment of our people’s interests, Antelias has said no and will continue to say no.”