Strength in Unity

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
2 hours ago
7 min read

Our Bishops’ Council in Austria has just concluded. For three days in Saint Pölten, bishops of the Armenian Church came together to pray, reflect on the current challenges facing the Armenian Church, and form a united and responsible position to defend the Church’s mission and preserve its internal unity.

When bishops come together, it is easy for people to assume that it is about policies, resolutions, or public statements. But what I experienced was something much deeper. It was a spiritual encounter, clergy called to shepherd the Church, kneeling before God, seeking clarity in a difficult hour.

We met at a time when our Church is facing unprecedented pressure in Armenia. Painful measures have been imposed by the Armenian government, including travel restrictions placed upon His Holiness Karekin II and several of our brother bishops. These realities are not distant headlines for us. They touch the freedom and dignity of the Church we love.

And yet, amid the tension, I saw something beautiful. I saw bishops who love the Armenian Apostolic Church with sincerity. I heard careful conversations marked by responsibility and a genuine spirit of fraternity. We did not gather to defend personal positions. We gathered to protect the sacred mission entrusted to us.

When the early Church faced its first major crisis, the apostles assembled in Jerusalem. After prayer and deliberation, they spoke these remarkable words: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28). These words have guided the Church ever since. The ultimate goal is to be in harmony with the Holy Spirit.

That was our deepest desire in Austria. Before speaking, we prayed. Before deciding, we listened. The most important voice in the room was not the loudest one, but the quiet prompting of the Holy Spirit. Because when the Spirit leads, the Church walks forward with courage and hope.

I returned from this gathering with renewed confidence. I was reminded once again that the Church is not sustained by political favor or human strategy. The Church belongs to Christ. He is the Head. He is the Shepherd. He is the One who promised, “I am with you always.”

And in that confidence, we move forward, trusting that the Lord who called us to serve His Church will faithfully guard her, guide her, and bring her through every storm into deeper unity and renewed light.

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Statement of the Assembly of Bishops of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church under the Catholicosate of All Armenians

[English translation from the original Armenian]

The Assembly of Bishops convened February 17–19, 2026, in the city of Sankt Pölten, Austria, at the invitation and with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, has concluded its deliberations.

Following its sessions, the bishops issued the following declaration:

We, the twenty-five bishops of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Catholicate of All Armenians, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, give thanks and glory to the Heavenly Lord, who granted us the grace at the beginning of the season of Great Lent to renew in prayerful unity our episcopal vows made before the Holy Altar of the Descent and, in spiritual retreat, to be strengthened in our sacred calling — so that in these troubled times we may continue our fruitful mission with greater zeal and responsibility for the bright future of our Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, the strengthening of the faith of our faithful people throughout the world, and the enrichment of their spiritual life.

We offer filial gratitude to His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, at whose fatherly invitation the bishops serving in the homeland and the diaspora gathered together to reflect jointly on the challenges facing the Armenian Church and to seek paths toward overcoming them.

With deep concern and condemnation, we record that, due to unfounded criminal prosecution, the departure from Armenia of the Chief Shepherd of the Armenian Church and six of our brother bishops was obstructed, preventing their participation in this esteemed ecclesiastical gathering. Because of this artificially created obstacle, we were compelled to receive the Pontifical Message of the Catholicos of All Armenians through videoconference. Messages were also sent to this gathering by the Hierarchs of our other Hierarchical Sees: His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; His Beatitude Patriarch Nourhan Archbishop Manougian of Jerusalem; and His Beatitude Patriarch Sahak Archbishop Mashalian of Constantinople.

During its three-day sessions, the Assembly examined the following topics:

• “The Mission of the Church in the Contemporary Era and Existing Challenges in the Homeland and Diaspora”; (presented by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Terterian)

• “The Present State of Church-State Relations and the Situation Surrounding the Church in Armenia”; (presented by His Grace Bishop Grigor Khachatryan)

• “The Protection of the Church’s Autonomy from Political Exploitation and Ways of Overcoming the Current Situation.” (presented by His Grace Bishop Ashot Mnatsakanyan)

After substantive and constructive discussions conducted in a spirit of brotherly love and mutual understanding, we solemnly reaffirm the orders and principles sanctified by the tradition and centuries-long experience of our Holy Church in both its saving mission and its national life, noting in particular:

(a.) The head of the Armenian Church, founded by the preaching of the Holy Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, is Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:22). This divinely established institution is governed by Holy Scripture, the doctrine and canons of the Church, and the principle of apostolic succession under the pastoral leadership of the Armenian Patriarchs. The mission of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church in the homeland and diaspora includes the spiritual care and Christian education of our people and the preservation of national and spiritual identity.

(b.) Throughout its centuries-long history, the Armenian Church — as “the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) — has continually renewed itself in accordance with the needs of the times, keeping alive its essential mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and lead the people to salvation.

(c.) As the most ancient institution of pan-national significance, the Armenian Church has always advocated the existence of Armenian independent statehood and has supported — and continues to support — its strengthening and progress, with the firm conviction that the homeland state is the defender and guarantor of the endurance of the Armenian people and the realization of national aspirations. The Armenian Church has never served foreign powers or external interests but has maintained unwavering loyalty exclusively to the Armenian people, its statehood, and the preservation of national identity.

In this context, the episcopal order expresses deep concern regarding the undesirable current state of church-state relations and, within this dangerous situation, calls upon the authorities of the Republic of Armenia:

● to cease persecutions against the Church and respect the centuries-established sovereignty and autonomy of the Church, grounding church-state relations upon mutual respect, clear separation of competencies, and priority of national interest;

● to end repression against clergy and the Catholicos of All Armenians through fabricated accusations and defamation;

● to release the four imprisoned bishops, the priest, and the faithful who acted in defense of the Church;

● to act exclusively according to the Constitution, legislation, and international law, remaining faithful to democratic principles by guaranteeing freedom of conscience, religion, and belief, and ensuring public harmony rather than division;

● to resolve existing disagreements in a spirit of dialogue, without preconditions and without unproductive ultimatum rhetoric.

At the same time, the Assembly of Bishops exhorts the eight erring bishops:

● to act in awareness of their vow of loyalty to Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians;

● to raise and resolve matters concerning internal church life exclusively within authorized ecclesiastical bodies;

● to refrain from anti-canonical actions, divisive steps, and separatist manifestations that threaten schism and weaken the Church’s mission in the life of our faithful people. In this regard, the omission of the name of the Supreme Patriarch during the Divine Liturgy is ecclesiologically unacceptable and a direct blow to the unity of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Armenian Church.

Rejecting any reform movement imposed under external pressure, we deem it imperative that the overcoming of challenges facing the Armenian Church and all corrective efforts be carried out solely within the Assembly of Bishops and the Church’s highest canonical bodies.

We, the bishops of the Armenian Church, reaffirm our fidelity to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians as the visible symbol and guarantee of the unity, reconciliation, and harmony of the Church, for “God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33).

With the blessing of the Chief Shepherd of the Armenian Church, we commit ourselves to convening the Assembly of Bishops regularly in order to address and overcome the challenges before the Church and to strengthen our pastoral ministry in the life of our people.

We exhort the clergy of our Holy Church to remain steadfast in their calling and service, “being an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

The Church shall unwaveringly continue its sacred mission despite external pressures, remaining faithful to the Holy Gospel and the orthodox doctrine of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.

We also call upon our faithful people, as “one body and one Spirit” in Christ (Eph. 4:4), to remain loyal and united around our Apostolic Holy Church and through prayer, dedication, and good works to strengthen and illumine our national and spiritual life.

Deeply concerned by the sham trials and unlawful verdicts carried out in Baku against the leadership of Artsakh, we call upon the international community and sister Churches to continue efforts toward the swift release of the captive Armenian sons.

From the depths of our hearts, we pray that the beneficent God, through the intercession of the Holy Mother-of-God and all the saints, may keep our Holy Church steadfast and unshaken, strengthen Armenia’s independent statehood, and guide the life of the Armenian people throughout the world in peace and prosperity. We ask that the Lord grant peace to the whole world, to all nations and peoples.

“Finally, brethren, rejoice, be complete, be comforted, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11).

His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Parsamyan

His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian

His Eminence Archbishop Vicken Aykazian

His Eminence Archbishop Aram Ateshian

His Eminence Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan

His Grace Bishop Ashot Mnatsakanyan

His Grace Bishop Armash Nalbandian

His Grace Bishop Ararat Galtaghchyan

His Grace Bishop Markos Hovhannisyan

His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan

His Grace Bishop Tatev Hakobyan

His Grace Bishop Narek Berberian