Avetik Ishkhanyan. “The Holy See monk’s arguments do not stand any examination.”
August 23 2014
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin monk T. Partev Barseghyan, referring to
the U.S. State Department published the 2013 annual report on freedom
of belief, expressed bewilderment. The monk, bringing a number of
arguments, said that the Armenian Apostolic Church has obtained its
dominant position over the history. Chairman of Armenia’s Helsinki
Committee, also human rights defender, Avetik Ishkhanyan, in the
conversation with Aravot.am, referring to the response by the Holy
See, considered it expected, since as said by Mr. Ishkhanyan, the
Armenian Apostolic Church has a number of state-sponsored monopolies,
and in this case, it was also agreed that instead of the government,
the Armenian Apostolic church would respond to the State Department’s
report. “In fact, the arguments by the Holy See’s monk do not stand
any examination, in the sense that the majority of us is the
descendent of the Armenian Apostolic Church over the centuries.
Similarly, the Soviet years can be justified that no church can be
built because the majority of the population is atheist. Moreover, the
intolerant attitude that exists by the Apostolic Church and the
government towards other churches is taking to the split of the
nation. Discriminating attitude against other religious organizations
is an anti-national activity. As for the report, it was pretty
objective. The only thing I did not know was that other religious
organizations have no right to distribute religious literature over
1000 print copies.” As said by the human right defender, according to
the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights of Armenia,
in fact, the government has adopted that there are pressures over
teachers of other religious beliefs, which must be stopped; it has
adopted that tolerant attitude to other religion directions in
compliance with the principles of Toledo should be disseminated at
schools. “Why did not the Armenian Apostolic Church say anything
against this strategy?” expresses his bewilderment Avetik Ishkhanyan.
Referring to the idea of the Holy See’s representative that it is hard
to imagine that in Greece, where the majority of population are
descendants of the Greek Orthodox Church, privileges were given to
another church, our interlocutor said, “Greece cannot be a successful
example. Greece is one of the rare countries of Europe where the
church is not separated from the state. I have Greek friends, one of
which now lives in Kiev. He told me that it was impossible to live in
Greece, because if the kids were even sick and should not attend the
school, then it was mandatory to attend the school and participate in
praying. If a child did not participate in praying due to the illness,
the priests were coming to his home, rebuking, and forcing him to go
to chapel every Sunday. Having a great respect for Greeks, I think
that with the “part” of church, the European family member Greece is
still in the medieval retarded condition, which can be one of the
reasons for its economic failures.”
Gohar HAKOBYAN
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
