Supreme Spiritual Council Meeting in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

August 2013

From July 30 to 31, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the regular meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council was held with the general membership in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

At the opening of the meeting the Catholicos of All Armenians expressed his appreciation to the council members for traveling to the Mother See to discuss all the challenges that the Armenian Apostolic Church was facing and the problems troubling the faithful Armenian people.

The Co-Chairman of the sessions was His Eminence Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, Patriarchal Locum Tenens of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople and His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.

Archbishop Hovnan presented a report on the events being organized by the Mother See, devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The council members expressed their gratitude to the committee, entrusting them to carry on with the finalization of the details and preparation efforts for the events.

The Supreme Spiritual Council also reviewed the report presented by His Grace Bishop Arshak Kachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See, regarding the process of adjusting diocesan regulations according to the requirements of the guidelines for the Diocesan Bylaws of the Armenian Church.

Details were provided regarding the preparation process for the upcoming General Bishop’s Synod of the Armenian Church being held at the Mother See from September 21 to 28.

His Eminence Archbishop Yeznik Petrosyan, Committee Chairman and Primate of the Tavush Diocese, presented his report on progress of the revision procedures project of the constitution, mandated by the members of the Church Representative Assembly of the Armenian Church in November of 2012. The Supreme Spiritual Council members adopted the report with appreciation and assigned the committee to continue with the revision process.

The Supreme Spiritual Council discussed the resignation letter of His Eminence Archbishop Norvan Zakarian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in France and Pontifical Legate to Western Europe, as well as the related issues concerning the developments in the Armenian Diocese of France.

Over the course of the discussion the Supreme Council officially accepted the resignation letter of His Eminence Archbishop Norvan Zakarian from his service as Primate of the Armenian Diocese of France and Pontifical Legate to Western Europe, as well as from his membership on the Supreme Spiritual Council. A request was issued to His Holiness for final confirmation.

The Supreme Spiritual Council also expressed regret regarding resignation and the unsubstantiated allegations in the letter directed at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians.

The Council offered their support to the Diocesan Council of the Armenian Diocese of France in resolving the current issues, exhorting the faithful servants of the diocese and the national institutions and organizations to contribute to the establishment of discipline and order in the Armenian Diocese of France with the spirit of their Christian love.

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