SUPREME SPIRITUAL COUNCIL EXPRESSES PERPLEXITY IN CONNECTION WITH
DECISION OF GEORGIAN CHURCH TO OPEN DIOCESE IN NORTH OF ARMENIA

ECHMIADZIN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A meeting of the
Supreme Spiritual Council was held at the Mother See of Holy
Echmiadzin on March 7, during which Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian
presented the pastoral and spiritual-propaganda activities of the
Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He said that
anti-Armenian publications and statements continue to appear in the
Georgian media, which is conducive to an atmosphere of intolerance and
tension. In response to an inquiry of the Supreme Spiritual Council,
Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian confirmed that in accordance with the
decision of the Georgian Apostolic Church Synod of February 6, 2006,
“with the aim of restoring its historical diocese”, the opening of a
new Tashir-Agarak Diocese was declared under the spiritial authority
of the bishop of the Dmanissi Diocese of Georgia. According to the
press service of the Mother See, the Supreme Spiritual Council
expressed its perplexity that, first, the Georgian Apostolic Church
did not inform the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin about its intention,
taking into account that the matter concern the territory of Armenia,
and secondly, the Synod intends to open a new diocese in the area
where the Georgian Church has no parishioners, whereas Georgia
disregards the right of hundreds of thousands of Armenian believers to
grant a legal status to the Armenian diocese and return the Armenian
churches.