RUSSIAN CHURCH NOT AUTHORIZED TO EVALUATE STATUS OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Panorama.am
11:41 15/01/2010

"The Russian Orthodox Church has always been sad about the Karabakh
conflict and made efforts to find and propose to politicians ways of
settling it in a peaceful way together with Azerbaijani Muslims and
Armenian Christians," Hieromonk Philipp (Ryabykh), deputy head of the
Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Interfax
reported. In these days Russian Hieromonk declared that there are
three Russian Orthodox Church branches in Armenia, one of which is
situated in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani mass media spread news that
Russian monk had recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as Armenian land. The
Moscow Patriarchate said it does not consider itself authorized to
evaluate the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and favor peaceful settlement
of conflicts. Father Philipp said the Nagorno-Karabakh community, which
wants to come under the spiritual care of the Russian Orthodox Church,
currently has some 600 members. In summer 2009, a Moscow Patriarchate
parish was registered in Stepanakert, and a land site was allotted
for church construction. The development of the Nagorno- Karabakh
parish "has always been regarded by the Russian Orthodox Church
as a means of bringing another peace factor on the long-suffering
land of Nagorno-Karabakh, not as a means of taking anyone’s side,"
Father Philipp said. "The Russian Church believes that its presence
in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh will promote prompt
peaceful settlement in this region," he said.