Harutyun Agha-Sargsyan, the president of the Pan-Armenian Council for the Protection of the Armenian Church, made a statement regarding the denial of the opportunity by the Armenian authorities to the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II to travel to Tbilisi and participate in the funeral of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia.

“This is no longer the floor. The authorities of the day displayed their sick revenge and the most ridiculous degree of moral depravity. By effectively holding Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II hostage and forbidding him to travel to Tbilisi to bid farewell to Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia, this regime proves that it is ultimately devoid of any sanctity.

This is petty and cowardly hooliganism. When the state apparatus cannot restrain its cheapness even in the face of death, mourning and the last farewell, we are dealing not with the government, but with national shame.

This is a blow to the dignity of our state. By depriving the Patriarch of All Armenians from participating in the funeral of his spiritual brother, you are not humiliating His Holiness. You are turning Armenia into a mockery, showing the world that our country is run by mentally ill people who do not care about centuries-old Armenian-Georgian relations.

This is blatant blasphemy. Where normal people keep quiet and bow their heads, you build your cheap maniac walls. This is an encroachment not only against church order, but also against basic human morality.

We strongly demand that this disgraceful ban against the Catholicos be lifted immediately and without cheap legal veils. Your hostile and destructive campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has crossed all the borders of insanity.

Calm down! Whoever remains silent and tolerates this disgrace today becomes an accomplice of this spiritual terror carried out at the state level. You are not hurting the Church, you are exposing your own moral bankruptcy, your fear and pettiness. Your image does not evoke feelings other than disgust and pity,” the statement reads.

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