A few days ago I received the special issue of Spiritual Spectrum,” the official publication of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America. The issue in question is nothing but a rich memorial photo album meant to incense, in the words of the Prelate, “the Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.” We are not that much interested and excited by this album because behind the praises lavished in it there are only hidden intentions, deceit and inappropriate flattering.
In order to refresh the memory of our readers, let us refer to the official public declarations made during those days: “The month of October [2011] was also an ebullient, lively month of spiritual, communal and cultural life, for the presence of His Holiness in our midst was, –as it has always been in the past,– much more than a mere visit. His Holiness had come to see, listen and convey his messages. And everything which was realized [during the visit] was in accordance with a specific mission which the pontiff himself had devised for his visit from the beginning, even before he set foot on these shores, with certain distinct focuses in mind.”
The first of those focuses was: “SPIRITUAL RENEWAL.” By it we understand that revitalization which was being provided to the faithful, particularly the youth, through Bible study programs and the interpretations of our spiritual songs (the ‘sharagans,”) as well as through attendance and participation of church services. All members of the clergy of our diocese bring their share of participation in this field of service. Particularly among them, are two outstanding spiritual leaders: Very Rev. Muron Aznikian and Very Rev. Barthev Gulumian.
Now, what happened that led the Catholicos and the Prelate, in collaboration with one another, to remove from Los Angeles one of the workers in this field–the Very Reverend Barthev Gulumian? Father Gulumian, after many years of hard work, had succeeded to gather thousands of our youth around the Armenian Church and impart the LOVE of our Church and Nation to them. Furthermore, he had also succeeded to silence the criticisms of the pharisaic sects who, ignorant of the history and mission of the Armenian Apostolic Church, claimed that the Church had failed in providing spiritual nourishment to the faithful and who were attempting to mislead and proselytize our youth.
With the full knowledge of the above we have but to state that the words and deeds of our leadership do not correspond to one another. On the one hand, they claim that the renewal of spiritual life is important in today’s temporal conditions, where the retreat and decline of spiritual values are clearly visible. On the other hand, intoxicated by the vain glory of their power and blinded by envy, they not only trample the dignity of a vartabed in vengeful fury by exiling him from this community, but they also deprive thousands of our youth of their right to be nourished by the vartabed’s spiritual sermons while at the same time insulting their faith in its core. What to do, therefore, with the Vehapar’s appeals for exerting our utmost in order to involve our people, particularly the youth, in our communal life? Isn’t it true that, without the active participation of the faithful in its life, the Church becomes devoid of its significance and mission? Why, then, alienate the faithful from its fold? In the name of … what?
Proof? Please read the comments of the youth on Facebook, and see if your hearts will not be filled with emotion in view of their sincere outbursts.
(Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/HBarthev/petition.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Back-Fr-Barthev/209992062422773
Thus, what renewal of spiritual life are we touting when we prove by our deeds that our messages are simply a lip service and in no way arise from the crystal-clear fountain of our deep faith which we proclaim from our church pulpits and public rostrums? I will let the reader to answer it. Today, Father Barthev has already engaged in his God-pleasing Bible Study sessions, albeit for a small Armenian parish such as that of Caracas, Venezuela, to satisfy their spiritual thirst. To me, the most astounding and mind torturing fact is that the formal declarations of the Vehapar and the Prelate to the public to the effect that Fr. Barthev would soon return to Los Angeles were nothing but a disrespectful and dishonest camouflage of the concealed intent of removing the Reverend Father from the Western Diocese–in other words, a perversion of the plain and simple truth. For, while it was declared here in California that Father Barthev would return to Los Angeles, on the other hand, securing the prior consent of the authorities of the Armenian community in Venezuela, he was immediately sent out to his new field of service in Caracas. Dear readers, do you now understand why the youth is rising up against the Prelate and the Prelacy Executive Council? The simple reason is that they have been duped and thrust against an accomplished fact! The faith of the zealous youth must never be disturbed, for they are the hope and leaders of our future! Yes, the Vehapar came, saw, conveyed messages, but … he did not listen…
The Second focus of the Vehapar’s visit was “THE FURTHER PROGRESS OF OUR SCHOOLS,” stressing the imperative need to re-evaluate and reconstruct them. Was his presence in the diocese necessary, though, for our noble benefactors to contribute to our community schools? Or is it necessary to possess the deep awareness and importance of the noble mission of our schools in the sacred task of educating our future leaders and generations of young men and women, who will carry the torch of our undying national Cause? Indeed, our schools have failed in their mission for various reasons. It is not out of place to identify a few of those reasons.
(a) Our schools, with their exorbitant tuition fees, cannot compete against the free public schools and entice our parents, especially in today’s economical conditions.
(b) Our schools particularly lack qualified teachers of Armenian language and history, as a result of which graduates from these schools cannot express their minds in clear and simple Armenian and immediately turn to the assistance of the English language.
(c) The majority of our school employees and faculty hold their position not because of the experience in education they are expected to have, but by virtue of belonging to a certain group or another, or by virtue of their social or family ties. And thus, unfortunately, this situation affects the education of our youngsters. In a word, it is those youngsters who attend the Armenian schools that suffer from it. It is time, as Catholicos Aram states, to re-evaluate and restore the dignity of our schools for the sake of our younger generation, provided that the words are converted to a healthy and robust activity.
Undoubtedly the fact that the Vehapar personally visited our schools and excited the students, exhorting them to become the sunshine of our life in order to enlighten our national life. But did His Holiness consider for a moment that, beside the schools which belong to Armenian Western Prelacy, there were also other Armenian schools in our community whose students were equally in need of his encouraging paternal words? Alas! What about the catchword “One nation, one Motherland, One Church”…
The third focus was “THE ARMENIAN CAUSE AND THE PURSUIT OF OUR RIGHTS.” Every Armenian may have his or her own views in the matter of the pursuit of the Armenian Cause, and this is well understood since our generation being chronologically closer and more immediate to our exiled and martyred ancestors, we may have different feelings from the younger generations who have only heard about the experiences of their grand and great grandparents from their fathers. In our view, the pursuit of the Armenian Cause and rights begins at the home of each Armenian.
(a) To speak our national language and live as Armenians, keeping alive all those traditions and customs acquired from our fathers that help to build our Armenian identity.
(b) To invigorate and charge our young generation with the spirit of pursuing our national rights. Unfortunately many fine members of this generation stand on the margin of our national life, observing it with certain indifference.
(c) Abandon the realm of mere words and start acting. In other words, participate actively in the fight for our rights in total dedication of our talents.
(d) Indeed, the Armenian State is the ultimate authority to demand rights on behalf of Armenian Nation. We tried to put this concept to practical effect some years ago when the lawsuits against New York Life Insurance Co. were initiated, but unfortunately certain attorneys opposed our proposal. Be that as it may, considering that the dispersion of the Armenian people all over the world is in large measure the direct result of the Genocide, it behooves the Armenian Diaspora to form a single powerful and unanimous force under the patronage of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, to voice and intensify the pursuit of our cause and rights in front of international courts. With this concern, for instance, more than five years ago, when a friend from Cyprus showed me the pictures of the desecrated floors of our ancient church in Nicosia, I proposed to His Holiness Aram I through Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian (the prelate of Cyprus), to initiate a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice at the Hague, –even if with no tangible results,– in order to demonstrate to the whole world that the Turk, in this 21st century, continues to be the same old barbarian. Unfortunately this proposal was unheeded.
Again, after witnessing the desecration and destruction of our St. Macarius Monastery in Cyprus, and considering that the latter is a member country of the European Union, it would have been another opportunity for Catholicos Aram I to appeal to the International Court and demand reparation of damages, just as certain Greek individuals were successfully able to claim their just rights through the Court.
To conclude, it is time for a transition from words to action. Words dissipate in the air, but deeds stay. Action, action, and again action!
Vosgan Mekhitarian
