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MOTHER SEE: GEORGIAN CHURCH IS INTOLERANT
http://www.a1plus.am/en/social/2011/06/21/katoxikos
07:08 pm | Today | Social
"The Supreme Patriarch respects Patriarch Ilya's age and experience,"
head of the divan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Bishop Arshak
Khachatryan announced during today's press conference. Commenting
on the latest information that the Patriarch of All Georgians Ilya
called Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II "an inexperienced
youth who rushes to get everything", Bishop Arshak added that this
announcement didn't fall in line with the logic of etiquette of the
church leaders' relations.
Overall, Khachatryan gave a positive assessment of the Supreme
Patriarch's five-day inter-ecclesiastical and pontifical visit to
Georgia. However, His Holiness regretted to mention that the Georgian
Church's recent intolerance toward other churches and religious
organizations impedes the speedy solution to existing issues facing
the sister churches to a certain extent.
"The ethnic and religious minorities face many issues in Georgia. At
the same time, the Georgian government has taken on several obligations
in front of international organizations that will be implemented
sooner or later," mentioned His Holiness Arshak.
According to him, the Mother See doesn't object the granting of the
status of a legal person to the Georgian Church by following the
example of other religious organizations registered in Armenia. The
clergyman says Georgia is obliged to do its part by showing the same
attitude toward the Georgian-Armenian community and the church diocese.
He added that these issues were discussed during the meeting with
President Sahakashvili and the latter expressed willingness to support
the solution to those issues.
Overall, His Holiness Arshak says he gets the impression that the
Georgian Church is trying to turn the inter-ecclesiastical relations
into market relations by putting forth demands that it presents for
itself. According to him, the claims for several Armenian churches
located in northern Armenia fit in this logic.
Mother See Inter-Ecclesiastical Relations correspondent, Archbishop
Yeznik Petrosyan told "A1+" that the Georgian-Armenian Diocese used
to have 457 churches and 3 monasteries before the 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution, of which nearly 300 are situated in Georgia. Petrosyan
added that the Mother See intends to create a separate Armenian
Diocese in Javakhk.
http://www.a1plus.am/en/social/2011/06/21/katoxikos
07:08 pm | Today | Social
"The Supreme Patriarch respects Patriarch Ilya's age and experience,"
head of the divan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Bishop Arshak
Khachatryan announced during today's press conference. Commenting
on the latest information that the Patriarch of All Georgians Ilya
called Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II "an inexperienced
youth who rushes to get everything", Bishop Arshak added that this
announcement didn't fall in line with the logic of etiquette of the
church leaders' relations.
Overall, Khachatryan gave a positive assessment of the Supreme
Patriarch's five-day inter-ecclesiastical and pontifical visit to
Georgia. However, His Holiness regretted to mention that the Georgian
Church's recent intolerance toward other churches and religious
organizations impedes the speedy solution to existing issues facing
the sister churches to a certain extent.
"The ethnic and religious minorities face many issues in Georgia. At
the same time, the Georgian government has taken on several obligations
in front of international organizations that will be implemented
sooner or later," mentioned His Holiness Arshak.
According to him, the Mother See doesn't object the granting of the
status of a legal person to the Georgian Church by following the
example of other religious organizations registered in Armenia. The
clergyman says Georgia is obliged to do its part by showing the same
attitude toward the Georgian-Armenian community and the church diocese.
He added that these issues were discussed during the meeting with
President Sahakashvili and the latter expressed willingness to support
the solution to those issues.
Overall, His Holiness Arshak says he gets the impression that the
Georgian Church is trying to turn the inter-ecclesiastical relations
into market relations by putting forth demands that it presents for
itself. According to him, the claims for several Armenian churches
located in northern Armenia fit in this logic.
Mother See Inter-Ecclesiastical Relations correspondent, Archbishop
Yeznik Petrosyan told "A1+" that the Georgian-Armenian Diocese used
to have 457 churches and 3 monasteries before the 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution, of which nearly 300 are situated in Georgia. Petrosyan
added that the Mother See intends to create a separate Armenian
Diocese in Javakhk.