Bishops Council of Armenian Church to be held in Austria over govt. pressure

Bishops of the Armenian Church in Etchmiadzin. Photo: mediamax

In mid-February, a Council of all bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church will take place in the Austrian city of Sankt Pölten. As reported by Austrian media, about 55 hierarchs from around the world will participate in the meeting under the chairmanship of Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians.

The session will be held at the "Hippolythaus" of the Catholic Diocese of Sankt Pölten. The host is Bishop of Sankt Pölten Alois Schwarz, who maintains long-standing personal and ecclesiastical ties with the Primate of the Armenian Church. Armenian Bishop of Vienna Tiran Petrosyan also plays a key role in organizing the meeting.

The reason for moving the Council outside Armenia was the acute situation in the country. Recently, the conflict between the current authorities in Armenia and the church leadership has sharply escalated: several hierarchs are already under arrest, and government representatives publicly demand the removal of Catholicos Karekin II. At the same time, it is reported that some bishops have taken an oppositional stance toward the church Primate.

In this regard, holding the Council in Etchmiadzin — the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located near Yerevan — is currently considered impossible. Austrian Sankt Pölten was chosen as a temporary alternative venue. It is expected that the meeting participants will discuss the Church's further steps in the context of the deepening crisis.

As the UOJ wrote, Pashinyan signed a "roadmap for the renewal of the Armenian Church".

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