Armenian Apostolic Church in Need of Treatment: Karapetyan Cites Jehovah’s Witnesses as Example

The Armenian Apostolic Church is in need of treatment in terms of serving the nation, Samvel Karapetyan, an expert on monuments, told reporters Monday at a press conference in Yerevan, in which he described an incident that took place last Sunday at the Yeghvard Church (Surb Astvatsatsin).

“I want to note the remarks of Father Hovnan of Yeghvard’s Surb Astvatsatsin [St. Mary] Church, which is very symbolic, since the entire Armenian Apostolic Church thinks just like this one priest. Fr. Hovnan said, ‘We’re open; let the people come toward us.’ This priest said these words when we were meeting with Yeghvard’s deputy mayor and the latter was expressing his concerns regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses swarming the city.

“The deputy mayor said when they didn’t have a priest, they definitely wanted there to be a priest in their church, but when we got one, he comes to church once in a blue moon. I told this priest, ‘You’ve waited 1,700 years for these people to come toward you, when will the day come when you take a step toward the people?’

“The Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t waiting for the people to go toward them — they, with their bags slung over their shoulders, are approaching [the people]; they are out hunting,” said Karapetyan.