Journalists and Armenian Bishop Began Press Conference with ‘Namaz’

“From where do you want to start?” asked His Grace Bishop Arshak Khachatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, to journalists at the start of today’s press conference.

“From [praying] namaz,” responded the journalists. And the press conference began. 

Speaking on Christianity and Islam, Bishop Khachatrian said that in both cases, extreme expressions have no connection “with pure religious experience.” In this regard, he continued, both burning the Koran and praying namaz in a church as a form of political action are evaluated the same way. 

“If they wanted to pray namaz and the only possibility, not having an alternative, was the Cathedral of Ani, we have no reservations toward this issue,” said the bishop. 

However, he doesn’t think that praying namaz in the cathedral was due to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin not participating in the Divine Liturgy held at Aghtamar’s Holy Cross Armenian Church (the reason being the cross was not placed on the church’s dome). In the bishop’s opinion, attempting to appear as a democratic and accommodating country before the international community, Turkey simultaneously was attempting to “put into circulation Islamic trends” for its domestic use. 

Praying namaz in the church, according to the bishop, “is a phenomenon containing political accents.”

Asked whether Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin representatives will participate now in liturgies in Holy Cross, since the cross has already been placed on the church’s dome, the bishop said:

“When we receive an invitation to participate, this issue will be discussed at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and it’s not excluded that, in all likelihood, there will be participation.”

In the photo: cross placed on the dome of Aghtamar’s Holy Cross Armenian Church.