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Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: +374-10-517163
Fax: +374-10-517301
E-Mail: ktrij@etchmiadzin.am
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November 23, 2009

Supreme Spiritual Council Statement on Collapse of
St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church in Georgia

On Friday, November 20, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, presided during a meeting of the Supreme
Spiritual Council in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Discussed during
the meeting was the collapse of the St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church in
the Diocese of Georgia. At the end of the meeting, the following statement
was released:

The Supreme Spiritual Council regrets to confirm that the St. Gevork of
Mughni Armenian Church (built in 1356) in Tbilisi, Georgia, has collapsed.

The Supreme Spiritual Council regretfully states that years of effort on the
part of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the authorities of the
Republic of Armenia, to regulate the legal standing of the Armenian Diocese
of Georgia and secure the return of Armenian churches, through dialogue with
the authorities of the Republic of Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church,
were unsuccessful. The collapse of the St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church
is only one of the consequences of the unwarranted delays exhibited by the
Georgian side in the handling of the aforementioned issues. The authorities
of the Republic of Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church are wholly
responsible for the collapse of the church.

The indifference exhibited by the Georgian state toward the preservation of
Armenian holy sites does not correspond in any way with: 1) the
establishment of good neighborly relations, 2) fidelity to universal human
values, 3) respect for the rights of ethnic minorities, 4) the constant
statements made by the Georgian state regarding the preservation of the
historical and cultural heritage of their ethnic minorities, and 5) the
Georgian state’s acceptance of responsibilities before the international
community.

The Supreme Spiritual Council calls on the authorities of the Republic of
Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church to immediately implement steps to
grant legal status to the Armenian Diocese of Georgia and to return the
Armenian churches in Georgia to the Armenian Diocese of Georgia for the
normal functioning of national-ecclesiastical life for the Georgian-Armenian
community and the safe preservation of Armenian holy sites.