On August 2, His Holiness Karekin the Second Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians received the deputies of the "Strong Armenia" and "Armenia" factions of the 9th convocation of the National Assembly at the Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See.
On behalf of the newly elected deputies, His Holiness was greeted by the leaders of the factions, Tiar Narek Karapetyan and Mrs. Anna Grigoryan.
Narek Karapetyan, head of the "Strong Armenia" faction, mentioned in his speech. "Despite the regulation established by the legislation that the Catholicos of All Armenians has the right to speak at the opening of the first session of the National Assembly, it was not ensured. That is why the "Strong Armenia" faction came to the Mother See to receive a blessing from the Catholicos of All Armenians.
Anna Grigoryan, head of the Hayastan faction, noted that as children of the Armenian Church and also deputies of the highest legislative body of RA, it was their spiritual duty to visit His Holiness today. "Unfortunately, in the conditions of the anti-national campaign of this government, when for the first time in the history of our state, His Holiness' message, prayer and wish were not heard at the inaugural session of the National Assembly, we had to correct what happened," he emphasized.
Then the Catholicos of All Armenians conveyed his greetings and blessings to the deputies, stressing that for known reasons he did not have the opportunity to participate in the inaugural session of the National Assembly according to the established order and traditions and to bring the blessings of Saint Etchmiadzin and his Patriarchal message to the deputies.
His Holiness the Patriarch spoke privately about the worrying situation prevailing in the country and national life and the existing serious problems.
"The external and internal challenges facing our country today imply new tests, the possible ways to overcome them require maximum efforts, the unity of state and national structures, highly skilled figures in various professional fields. The disunity in the domestic life, the destructive and harmful actions, the division of the society, the political polarization, the distortion of the cherished values and perceptions, as well as the illegal, unconstitutional steps taken against the Armenian Church, which hinder the effective mission of the Church in the national homeland, are also of great concern for this situation. "Such unacceptable phenomena undermine the foundations of national unity, Diaspora-Armenia relations, undermine the atmosphere of mutual respect and trust in the public, the strengthening of democracy and legality, the supremacy of justice and truth," His Holiness noted.
His Holiness also emphasized in his speech: "We are one nation, one motherland, one Church, and this unity is the reliable basis for the survival and permanence of our people around the world and the embodiment of our dreams.
During its many centuries of service, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has always supported the nation and the motherland, in the presence of statehood, it has also been a supporter of the authorities to build a powerful and prosperous country and make the honest hopes of a happy future a reality." His Holiness the Patriarch emphasized that the Church should continue to be a force for the Armenian state in all good implementations, aimed at ensuring the well-being and progress of our nation, the strengthening and brightness of the motherland.
In connection with the start of the work of the 9th convocation of the National Assembly, the Catholicos of All Armenians urged the newly elected deputies to be zealous in their legislative mission, faithful to their calling and commitments, to act for the security of the homeland, the strengthening of independent Armenian statehood and for the welfare of the people. His Holiness also preached to be guided by the high awareness of the realization of universal national goals, to serve as an example to the people with fairness, decency and honesty.
At the end of the meeting, His Holiness asked Heaven to keep the Armenian state in peace, unitedly and undisturbed, he wished the Armenian people and deputies from all over the world effective work for the benefit of the prosperity and progress of our country.
In the end, His Holiness expressed his appreciation to the deputies of the factions for their devotion and filial love towards the Armenian Church, especially in this difficult period, when the campaign and repressions unleashed by the authorities continue, when the national philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan remains in custody for his speech in defense of Saint Etchmiadzin.
The meeting ended with the "Protector" prayer.
