Catholicos’ visit to Marseille and reception by local authorities was message to Armenia’s leadership – Varjapetian

France, as one of the largest Armenian diaspora communities, effectively demonstrated through the Catholicos’ visit that it opposes the developments surrounding the Church and will never support the policies adopted by Armenia’s authorities, Hrach Varjapetian, representative of the ARF Western Central Committee, told Alpha News.

“When the Catholicos visited Marseille, we saw how the country’s state authorities received him with great ceremony. This was also a clear message to Armenia’s leadership from France’s state institutions, showing that they do not accept what is happening around the Church,” Varjapetian said.

He also emphasized that Pashinyan’s policy of persecuting the Church is unacceptable, and the diaspora will never accept or support a campaign that discredits the Church and faith.

“The diaspora is following events in Armenia with deep concern. First of all, an Armenian person can never accept all this—regardless of whether they are a believer or not. This is not a matter of Christian faith; it is a direct blow to the Christian institution itself,” Varjapetian stressed.