C. The illegal election of the Members of the Supreme Spiritual Council of Holy Etchmiadzin.
In order to better understand the nature and composition of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, we must view it in historical perspective — how it came to be, and how it evolved throughout the years.
The first reference to the expression “Concerning the Spiritual Consistories And Governing [Bodies] Of Gregorian Armenians” is found in the 1831 Constitution,–commonly referred to as the “Polozhenye,”—which was imposed upon the Catholicosate of Holy Etchmiadzin by the then Russian Tsarist regime. Its original text was written in Russian and subsequently translated into Armenian by Mekerditch Kardashian.
Next, we encounter a reference to the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Church in the “Regulations Concerning the Convening Of The National Ecclesiastical Council,” established by his Holiness Catholicos Kevork V on October 22, 1925, and validated on May 28, 1930. In this iteration of the Constitution, it is stated: “The duties of the National Ecclesiastical Council are: (a) To elect a new Catholicos; (b) To elect new members of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin.” It continues by listing four additional duties.
The next citation of the Supreme Spiritual Council is found in the “Regulations Concerning the Convening Of The National Ecclesiastical Council,” as validated by His Holiness Catholicos Kevork VI on June 19, 1945, wherein we read, “The duties of the National Ecclesiastical Council are: (a) To elect a new Catholicos; (b) To elect new members of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin.” It continues by listing three additional duties.
Thereafter, many drafts of the Constitution have been prepared, but, to date, none has been officially validated and put into action.
Without deviating from the topic at hand, it is instructive to note that Chapter One (“Fundamental Principles”), Article 13, of the “Draft Constitution of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church” (prepared in 1958) states: “The administration of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church is formed by democratic principles. The faithful elect their leaders, –Priest, Bishop, Catholicos,– of their own free will.” Article 14: “The Armenian Apostolic Church is governed by the principle of democratic elections.” These two points will become germane to our discussion in the offing.
In this 1958 Draft Constitution it is clearly stated that the duties of the National Ecclesiastical Council are: “(a) to elect a new Catholicos, (b) to elect the members of the Supreme Spiritual Council.” I this same Draft, under the heading of the Supreme Spiritual Council, it is stated that “The Supreme Spiritual Council is the consulting body of the Catholicos of All Armenians, elected by the National Ecclesiastical Council, for a term of five years. The Supreme Spiritual Council consists of nine to eleven members, of which only four shall be lay people.”
Another draft, dated September 20, 1987, and prepared by Archbishop Diran Nersoyan, is of particular interest. Under the heading of Supreme Spiritual Council, it states: The Supreme Spiritual Council consists of eight bishops, –if need be, also of celibate priests,– and four lay people. The members of the Supreme Spiritual Council are appointed by the Catholicos of All Armenians.” This version, granting supreme powers to the Catholicos and deviating from the initial intent of members being democratically elected, was never validated either by the Council of Bishops or the National Ecclesiastical Assembly.
A subsequent Constitutional Draft appeared in September, 1988, written in Western Armenian Dialect and Classical Armenian Orthography. Even though there are no signatories at the end of this draft, it seems to be the work of Archbishop Diran Nersoyan because it is similar in tone, scope, and nature to the above mentioned 1987 draft, containing analogous language, with new additions and deletions.
The 1991 draft of the Constitution, which bears the seal of the Supreme Spiritual Council and is not validated by the National Ecclesiastical Council or the Catholicos, contains some further changes. Under the heading of Supreme Spiritual Council –which consists of eight articles–, Article Five states: “The Supreme Spiritual Council consists of ten members: two bishops from the Diasporan dioceses; five bishops from the internal [i.e. non-Diasporan] dioceses, three of which are appointed by His Holiness and two are elected by the Council of Bishops; and three laymen from the internal dioceses.”
The last draft of the Constitution is written in Western Armenian Dialect and Classical Armenian Orthography, prepared in September, 1995, By Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian and Bishop Aris Shirvanian. In this draft, under the heading of Supreme Spiritual Council, we find 18 articles defining the duties and obligations of the members of the Council. Under Articles Four and Five, respectively, it states: “The Supreme Spiritual Council comprises a minimum of 21 members—14 of which should be bishops and, if need be, married and celibate priests, with an additional 7 lay members. The members of the Supreme Spiritual Council are elected by the National Ecclesiastical Council or by the Diocesan Representatives Council for a 4-year term and are eligible to be re-elected for another term.”
These historical facts offer a chronological profile of the evolution of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin as delineated under the articles of the various drafts described above. Since no Constitution has been validated by either the National Ecclesiastical Council or the Catholicos since 1945, every decision and action taken after 1945 by the Supreme Spiritual Council, –many of whose members are/were directly appointed by the Catholicos,– is clearly without legal standing, with no approved authority, and utterly unacceptable.
The implications and ramifications of the current state in which the Armenian Apostolic Church finds itself are monumental. Its basis for the organizational and governance structures for the Church is constitutionally illegal and illegitimate. Hence, the Church and its hierarchy has no moral or legally justifiable ground upon which to execute its sacred, spiritual charge or carry out its mission to bring the faithful to the Church with full participatory rights. The absence of credibility, accountability, and transparency in the Armenian Church, and the absence of a devoted clergy places the Armenian Church on a precarious legal and moral perch, and possibly, on the brink of dissolution.
The indifference of our political leaders, educational and benevolent institutions, intellectuals and media has, unwittingly or otherwise, conspired to bring about an oligarchic dictatorship within the Armenian Church—a clear violation of self-proclaimed democratic principles and human values.
We should never allow “privileged” clergy to hijack the Hierarchy of the Armenian Church and limit the participation of the faithful. The 1995 draft of the Constitution, which, if ratified and validated by the National Ecclesiastical Council, would place this entire religious institution, recognized around the world as the first national Christian Church, in jeopardy of devolving into a religious body with no moral credibility and authority to carry out its spiritual edicts.
It is incumbent upon every individual of faith and avowed Christian Armenian to express their outrage at the current state of affairs in the Church, shed light upon the unacceptable behavior of the Catholicos and his obsequious henchmen, and demand the restoration of a validated Constitution that obligates the Supreme Spiritual Council to act in accordance with its stated democratic principles and adherence to its founding mission.
The Armenian Apostolic Church must transcend this limited interpretation of its institutional mission if it is to survive and, indeed, thrive in the modern world. Moreover, it must embrace not only its spiritual commission, but become a beacon for the educational and cultural institutions of the Armenian people, thereby ensuring the continual existence of this proud and faithful nation.
VOSGAN MEKHITARIAN to be continued
November 25, 2013
