The clergy of the Church of Holy Mother of God and Saint Anna churches condemned the incident that took place on March 29, according to a statement by spiritual pastor Father Zenon Barseghyan.
“Any manifestation of violence in the Church is condemnable and unacceptable. The Church is, first and foremost and unequivocally, the house of God, regardless of political views, where people unite in love, compassion, and prayer by living out the commandment of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to love one another.
We apologize to the devout faithful who came to the Church and inadvertently witnessed this condemnable and unpleasant incident. We urge our faithful children to refrain from the dangerous act of bringing political processes into the Church. We pray that during Holy Week we pass through the path of the Lord’s Passion with repentance and greet the glorious Resurrection of the Lord purified and strengthened,” the statement reads.
The Mother See’s press service also responded to Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, who had blamed the Armenian Church and the Catholicos of All Armenians for the incident at Surp Anna Church, News.am reports.
The Mother See stated that “the incident should be viewed as a consequence of the authorities’ anti-church campaign.”
On March 29, an incident occurred during a church service at Surp Anna Church in Yerevan. As the prime minister was leaving through a dense crowd, one individual told a bodyguard clearing the way, “Don’t look at me like that.” Another person from the back of the crowd attempted to strike toward Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Pashinyan instructed his bodyguards to remain calm. Arrests took place in the church courtyard.
Following the incident, while walking with his team, Pashinyan stated that some of those causing the disturbance were affiliated with the Republican Party of Armenia, while others were linked to the Sasna Tsrer group.
