Members of Religious Sects ‘Primary Target’ for Armenian Army Priests

Spiritual service in Armenia’s Armed Forces began during the Nagorno-Karabakh War when the army needed spiritual discipline, said Father Koryun Karapetyan, a chaplain in the Armenian army, speaking to reporters in the Armenian capital today.

The priest recalled that spiritual service in the Armenian army officially began in November 1997 upon the initiative of Catholicos Garegin I (also spelled Karekin I) and then Armenian defense minister, the late Vazgen Sargsyan.

Not all army bases have spiritual servicemen, Fr. Karapetyan said. These servicemen are divided among units with priority being given to those military bases along the border.

Asked by Epress.am how spiritual services are offered for those soldiers who are ethnic or religious minorities (and therefore don’t belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church), Fr. Karapetyan said members of religious organizations deemed acceptable by the Armenian Apostolic Church are free to choose themselves whether to participate in the spiritual gatherings or not.

The priest assured the press that if there are followers of other religions serving in the RA Armed Forces, the spiritual serviceman respects their presence and gives a sermon on the theme of universal values and not on Christian values per se around which there might be disagreement.

“There are Russians, Ukrainians, Yazidi — they are free to participate in our meetings. The spiritual serviceman directs the conversation in such as way as not to start a controversy. As for members of unacceptable religious sects, they are our first target. Converting them is of [utmost] priority. We seat them in the front rows,” he said.

Photo: The Armenian Church