The bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in the closing communiqué at the end of their conference in St Pölten in Austria, demanded an end to the “unjustified persecution” of the Church, a return to the rule of law and the release of all imprisoned bishops and clergy.
The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in December in Etchmiadzin, the see of the Armenian Apostolic Church, but increasing tensions between the Church under the leadership of Catholicos Karekin II and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan led to the decision that gathering in Armenia itself would not be safe.
Karekin has long opposed Pashinyan and holds him responsible for the displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabach, while Pashinyan accuses Karekin of treason and unjustified interference in politics.
Of the 50 bishops only 25 were able to attend in person. Four bishops are currently imprisoned while several others were subject to an exit ban in Armenia.
These included Karekin, who took part online, after criminal proceedings were opened against him.
Only one of the ten bishops who support the government was present at St Pölten and signed the declaration. Another has been laicised by the Church in protest.
The bishops appealed to the eight others to “refrain from further anti-Church acts, demoralising steps and separatist statements that could cause schism and weaken the mission of the Church in the lives of our faithful”.
They expressed concern about the precarious state of relations between Church and state, emphasising that the Church’s concern was the preservation of Armenia and its people, of its national and spiritual identity, “in uncompromising loyalty”.
While the declaration did not contain any substantial proposals about the future of the Church, there were several implicit and explicit refutations of allegations against it, such as claims that Karekin is too close to Russia.
The Church, the bishops said, has always supported Armenia’s existence as an independent state and continues to do so “firmly convinced that the Armenian state is the protector and guarantor of the survival of the Armenian people and of the fulfilment of its national ambitions”.