I cannot believe that an Armenian judge will be found who will convict Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. This man will be excommunicated, and the people will curse his entire family. Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Russia and New Nakhichevan, stated this in an interview with TASS.
“The authorities are using all their administrative resources to discredit the clergy for political purposes, to incite intolerance toward the Church in society, without shying away from slander and outright lies.
They know full well that the more shameless the lie, the easier it is to assimilate.” “Anything can be expected from this government, which openly deceives the people, considers itself above the law, ignores international legal norms, destroys justice, and arrests clergy and benefactors of the people on false charges.” “Perhaps the government will go further in achieving its goals.” “But I cannot believe that an Armenian judge will be found who will condemn the Catholicos of All Armenians. This man will be expelled from the Church, and the people will curse his entire family,” Nersisyan noted.
He recalled that the Church, as a non-partisan institution, based on its mission, has never interfered in state affairs.
“This provision is enshrined in Articles 17 and 18 of the Constitution of the Republic. The Church is separate from the state and does not engage in politics. The government, in turn, has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Church. At the same time, again, according to the Constitution, the Church is not prohibited from raising the voice of justice for the spiritual security of the nation and the country,” the archbishop added.