It remains to be hoped that high-ranking officials will act with greater responsibility - The Mother See’s response to Alen Simonyan

It remains to be hoped that high-ranking officials will act with greater responsibility - The Mother See’s response to Alen Simonyan

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has responded to recent remarks by National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan concerning the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the Catholicos of All Armenians.

In an interview with Aysor.am, Director of the Information System of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Fr. Yesayi Artenyan, stated that such rhetoric is inappropriate for public officials.

“Unfortunately, we have already had occasion to address this matter. It remains to be hoped that high-ranking officials will act with greater responsibility in fulfilling their calling and duty to foster public solidarity,” Fr. Yesayi said.

Earlier, Alen Simonyan had stated that “if the Catholicos had dignity, he would step down.” In a separate interview with the Russian outlet “Dozhd,” he also claimed that “4-5 high-ranking clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church are involved in child abuse.”

However, speaking to journalists yesterday, Simonyan said that this interpretation was a fabrication and that he had not made such a statement.

“I said, let us assume that something similar happens in some X country – should the government refrain from expressing its position on such acts? Let them sue me. There is a fact-checking platform that has issued a conclusion which can be interpreted in two ways,” Simonyan stated.