Epress.am News from Armenia
A ceremony to bless the upcoming school year took place at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin today. His Holiness Catholicos Garegin II (alternate spelling: Karekin II), the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, conducted the “blessing ceremony” in which the RA Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, and a whole host of university rectors, school principals, teachers and students participated.
Following the ceremony, His Holiness Catholicos Garegin II and Armen Ashotyan responded to journalists’ questions.
Catholicos Garegin II said that the Church follows teachings of the Armenian Church in educational institutions. Turning his attention to the issue of sects (by which the Catholicos directs his statement to Armenians who do not follow the Armenian Apostolic Church), the Catholicos assured that to “everyone’s joy,” the number of sects is decreasing in the country, despite the fact that there might be financing from abroad.
Ashotyan, in turn, said, “For centuries, when we didn’t have statehood, government, a ministry of education and science, Armenia’s Holy Apostolic Church took the issue of preserving culture, schooling and education upon itself. And now, when we have statehood, the people have given their worthy appraisal to all of the Apostolic Church’s activities.”
During the briefing, both parties noted that the education system is that method where national identity, spiritual and cultural values should come from, and where they should be preserved and disseminated.
“Thus, relations between the Mother See and the Ministry of Education and Science are not only the manifestation of good will, but also the ratification of the corresponding article in the RA Constitution. We’ve appealed to the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and asked that this ceremony be traditional and be spread to all the episcopates of the Armenia Apostolic Church, because both faith and education are light,” said Ashotyan.