"Fact" daily writes:
As it is known, the spiritual leader of the friendly and neighboring Georgian people, the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, passed away the other day.
It is quite natural and legitimate that the spiritual leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin the Second and other high-ranking Armenian clergymen want to attend the memorial service, funeral and ritually scheduled spiritual rites of the spiritual leader of a neighboring and friendly nation, to bid the last farewell to Ilia the Second.
Meanwhile, Nikol Pashinyan and his subordinate bodies, in the name of repressive organs, blocked the possibility of the Catholicos of All Armenians to leave the country under the pretext of a fictitious "case".
In addition to the fact that it is a disgrace in itself, it is a double and triple disgrace that it is also talked about "outside", in particular, the high-ranking clergy of the Georgian Church, stating that they are aware that the Catholicos of All Armenians intends to visit Georgia, attend the funeral ceremony of Ilia II, pay his respects to the late Blessed Patriarch and bring his grief to Georgia. to the Orthodox Church and friendly Georgian people.
However, the same Georgian clerics emphasize that the Armenian authorities have blocked the possibility of the Armenian Catholicos leaving. Hearing that statement, any normal Armenian cannot feel anything other than shame. Except, perhaps, those who serve the incomprehensible whims of the Pashinyan government. It seems that such a question, regardless of how it will be settled or if it will be settled (at least it was not settled until the newspaper was sent to the printer), should not have arisen at all. First of all, it is a shame in itself that a case has been initiated against His Holiness the Patriarch, and that too on completely fictitious "grounds".
Secondly, it is a great shame and disgrace that His Holiness was banned from going out to serve the whims of one person. Finally, even if we take into account the formal aspect of the law's interpretation, it is still an abnormal attitude. If you like, the law enforcement officers should first, on their own initiative, turn to the Mother See and announce that there are no restrictions on the free movement of His Holiness, including visiting Georgia. Themselves, you know, even without the intervention of lawyers? But, well, who are we talking about...
Details in today's issue of "Past" daily
