Gevorg Danielyan, member of the Supreme Spiritual Council and Doctor of Law, expressed concern that the criminal proceedings initiated by the Investigative Committee against the Church for allegedly failing to comply with a court ruling could undermine the episcopal assembly scheduled for February in Austria, according to Panorama.am .
Bishop Gevorg was defrocked on January 27, and two days later, it became known that a criminal case had been initiated against the Church by the Investigative Committee.
Danielyan rejects the claim that the Supreme Spiritual Council made a decision specifically aimed at obstructing the execution of a court ruling. He argues that the Church is entitled to make decisions when justified, and refraining from doing so could raise legal issues.
Earlier, lawyer Ruben Melikyan stated during a Facebook livestream that the criminal proceedings linked to the enforcement of a ruling in Archbishop Saroyan’s case effectively amount to a criminal prosecution against the Catholicos of All Armenians and members of the Supreme Spiritual Council. He suggested the goal is to impose travel restrictions to prevent them from leaving Armenia.
The Investigative Committee has not clarified whether a decision has been made to restrict the travel of the Catholicos or council members, reports Pastinfo.
On January 29, it was revealed that a criminal case had been initiated against the Armenian Apostolic Church based on a lawsuit filed by Gevorg Saroyan on January 15. In the suit, he requested the annulment of his dismissal from the post of leader of the Masis Diocese and his reinstatement. The day after the court hearing, the Armavir Regional Court ordered his temporary reinstatement pending a final verdict.
