Armenian Apostolic Church bishops' council moved to Austria due to pressure from authorities

The highest governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Council of Bishops, will meet in mid-February in the Austrian city of St. Pölten instead of the traditional spiritual center of Echmiadzin, Armenia. The postponement is due to a serious escalation of conflict between the church leadership and the current Armenian authorities, including arrests of bishops and public demands for the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

According to Austrian publication Religion.ORF.at, about 55 bishops from around the world will participate in the meeting chaired by Catholicos Karekin II. The meeting will be held at the «Hippolithouse» of the Catholic Diocese of St. Pölten. The host is Bishop Alois Schwarz of St. Pölten, who maintains long-standing personal and ecclesiastical ties with the Primate of the Armenian Church. The Armenian Bishop of Vienna, Tiran Petrosyan, also plays a key role in organizing the meeting.

The main reason for the transfer of the cathedral outside Armenia is the acute events inside the country. Recently, the conflict between the current government in Armenia and the Church leadership has sharply escalated: a number of bishops have already been arrested, and government representatives publicly demand the removal of Catholicos Karekin II. At the same time, it is reported that some bishops have taken an oppositional stance towards the Church leader.

In this regard, holding the council in Echmiadzin, the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located near Yerevan, is currently considered impossible. Austria’s St. Pölten has been chosen as a temporary alternative site. The participants of the meeting are expected to discuss further steps of the Church in the conditions of the deepening crisis.

It should be noted that earlier we reported that the Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia rejected the defense complaint against the arrest of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church Chancellery Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, leaving him in custody. His defense, clergy and opposition forces call the charges of «sale of narcotic substances» against the clergyman absurd and politically motivated.