Catholicos Karekin II Appeals to Ukrainian Authorities

The Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, has called on the Ukrainian authorities not to violate the historically established unity of the Orthodox community. This was reported to TASS by his spokesperson, Priest Isai Arthenyan, in response to the Ukrainian Parliament's decision allowing the banning of the activities of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

“Unfortunately, the justified concerns raised about the potential undesirable consequences of this bill's endorsement and its negative impact on spiritual and canonical life and the Orthodox population did not receive a response. The Catholicos calls upon the sons and daughters of the friendly people of Ukraine, the authorities, and lawmakers to respect the historically formed unity of the Orthodox community, defend the rights of existing religious communities, believers, and clergymen, and honor the inviolability of holy sites,” said Arthenyan.

He also added that it is the desire of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the faithful to see a prompt resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict through God's mercy, to exclude unacceptable phenomena that disrupt church life, and to restore friendship between brotherly peoples.