GEORGIAN ARMENIAN DIOCESE WISHES TO RETURN SIX CHURCHES BELONGING TO IT

TBILISI, JUNE 11, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Today the Georgian
Armenian Diocese has only 21 functioning churches and wishes to return
the churches that have belonged to the Georgian Armenian Diocese of
Armenian Apostolic Church for many centuries, but were seized in the
Soviet period (for instance, Tbilisi’s Surb Nshan) or or they just
tried to make them Georgian (for instance, Norashen Surb Astvatsatsin
Church). Today the number of such churches having "indefinite" status
for the Georgian side is six (Tbilisi’s Norashen Surb Astvatsatsin
Church (15th century), Surb Nshan Nikoghayos Church (18th century),
Havlabar’s Yerevantsots Surb Minas Church (19th century), Mughni Surb
Gevorg (14th century), Shamkhoretsots Surb Astvatsatsin Church (19th
century) and Akhaltsikhe’s Surb Nshan (19th century)). The Diocese
wishes to use these churches for completely taking care of the
community’s spiritual needs.

The arguments over belonging of the churches emerged long ago in
Georgia. This disagreement between the Georgian Diocese of Armenian
Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church emerged after getting
independence by Georgia. Eight Armenian churches were seized and turned
into Georgian churches over the past seventeen years. Wall pictures,
khachkars (cross-stones) and another Armenian elements were eliminated
in this process.

As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Information Services of the Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin, in connection with the problem Catholicos of
All Armenians Karekin II sent official messages to Patriarch-Catholicos
of Georgian Church Ilia II and Georgian President M. Saakashvili.

Various structures of Georgian Armenian community, non-governmental
organizations, Union of Armenians in Georgia sent letters to the
President of the Republic of Georgia and Patriarch expressing protest
in connection with this barbarity. In particular, two questions were
officially raised before the Georgian state and Church: the status of
Georgian Armenian Diocese (as no other church except the Georgian one
is registered and has any status in Georgia) and return of historic
Armenian churches to Armenians in Georgia (as currently no church
belongs to the Georgian Armenian Diocese de jure).

In fact, the problem has not been solved so far.