ARF condemns persecution of clergy and anti-national policies

The Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation issued a statement describing the actions of the Armenian authorities against the Armenian Apostolic Church as absolutely unacceptable. These actions include persecution, arrests of high-ranking clergy, and targeted attacks on the Church. According to the statement, this is not merely a conflict between church and state, but a deliberate assault on the faithful people, their identity, and national character.

“We strongly condemn anti-national actions and find it unacceptable that the author of such attacks was granted special attention by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. This has caused rightful indignation among the Armenian public both in the Diaspora and in Armenia.

The current situation demands urgent and decisive action. We call upon the two Catholicoi of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church—the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia—to closely cooperate and unite their efforts to protect the Armenian Church from all forms of destructive, undermining, and degrading encroachments, both internal and external. The Church is an exceptional national treasure in the life of the Armenian people and must be protected with full dedication and the support of the entire nation,” the statement reads.