F. We proceed in our endeavors to reform the Armenian Church with the understanding of its original mission to be the apotheosis of Jesus Christ and dissemination of His Word, and to uphold his teachings according to the Gospel, i.e., to shun all secular wealth and to comfort and heal the spiritual wounds of the faithful.
With this principle in mind, we call upon the high-ranking clergy of the Armenian Church, who are entrusted with the charge of guiding and leading their flock, “…to destroy the pride in your souls and approach your faithful with a humble heart”.
We beseech you to sell your diamond rings and gilded crosses, your prized cars and extravagant accessories, and donate the proceeds of your ill-gotten gains to the poor and needy–that is, if you truly believe the teachings of the Bible. Heed your vows of poverty and let them lead you to the treasures of service, devotion, and compassion in your hearts.
We believe this vow of poverty is essential in the lives of the clergy–it enables them to remain truly spiritual and shields them from temptation.
It appears, modern civilization has transformed human beings into automatons, who are solely concerned with the trappings of convenience, entertainment, and safe harbor in opulence and display.
Similarly, the accumulation of wealth has also permeated our educational institutions, where preference is given not to the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, but rather to the accumulation of personal riches and self-aggrandizement. Hence, the amassing of wealth has become the ultimate goal of people, young and old, supplanting all moral and religious objectives.
The clergy, who is also part of our society, has succumbed to its worldly temptations and, in the process of achieving these temporal goals, has become willing to renounce its vows and to eschew all moral values.
As a result of such unorthodox behavior, members of the clergy have become businessmen in every conceivable field–from dealing in diamond to real estate, from trading in the stock market to investment expertise, and bankrolling even in the most risqué ventures.
Today our prevailing concerns are not of dogmatic or even of theological nature for that matter, but rather organizational and administrative.
The clergy of the Armenian Church today is reminiscent of the clergy of the Catholic Church in the 17th century, which led to the reformation of the Church by Martin Luther. The very same conditions of materialism, corruption, and ignorance that pervaded the Catholic Church then and laid the groundwork for its eventual reformation, have infiltrated the current climate of the Armenian Church, where members of the clergy are ordained through nepotism and bribery. Their lives are so infested with the morass of corruption and influence peddling that their morals and commitment to righteous behavior have fallen by the wayside. It is high time for them to renew their vows and reestablish their nexus to God and His faithful.
Perhaps we need someone like St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Jesuit Brotherhood, to revitalize and revolutionize the Armenian Church and restore its once heralded glory as the bastion of Christianity. Better yet, we need individuals who can collectively eradicate corruption within the Church and reclaim the mantle of spirituality and Holiness.
The Armenian clergy of today regard their profession in strictly secular terms with an eye for personal gain. This mutation of the original calling to serve God and His faithful is a direct result of the commercial climate created by the self-serving actions of the most powerful in the hierarchy of the Armenian Church.
Potential candidates to the priesthood need to undergo a wholesale psychological transformation in order to garner the trust and faith of the public as their spiritual servants.
Lastly, in light of the strife and misery that has gripped many corners of the world, reducing human life to abject suffering, it is paramount that individuals entrusted with the mission to comfort and heal remain true to their charge and provide solace, understanding, and love to the faithful. Only then, can the Armenian Apostolic Church become, once again, the fulcrum around which people’s daily lives revolve and find meaningful purpose.
VOSGAN MEKHITARIAN to be continued
January 3, 2014
