BY APPO JABARIAN
EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR
USA ARMENIAN LIFE MAGAZINE
Fellow Armenians of Echmiadzin,
It is so inspiring and empowering to witness your courage, protest, and opposition to the release of notoriously corrupted Gen. Manvel Grigoryan; and unleash your demands for his re-arrest and imprisonment.
Armenians like him are only ‘entitled’ to stay behind bars, the likes of which are a disgrace not only for Echmiadzin but our entire nation.
It’s high time that all of us across Armenia and Diaspora maintain our courage and determination in the footsteps of Fellow Armenians of Echmiadzin. But collectively we should make sure not to wait another 27 years to hold corrupted individuals accountable –everywhere!
Many of us are certain that apart from corrupted Gen. Manvel, there are also other people who are incorrigibly corrupted but they’re keeping low profile and are attempting to stay away from Armenian public’s attention. One of them, in my opinion, is a very important person for the nation who has surrounded himself by his clan, fellow villagers and neighbors. I’m sure all of you know Garegin II and his criminal conglomerate. Many of you may well know about persistent reports on how he was ‘elected’ Catholicos — through bribes, threats and fraud.
It is now clear that he is an illegitimate occupier of the Holy Throne of Catholicos of All Armenians and he is now widely known to be the undeclared leader of international network of wrongdoers and authors of crimes. It is now safe to state that his junta includes several bishops in Armenia and around the world and especially here in Western United States where a corrupted bishop (undeservedly ranked as archbishop) Hovnan Derderian of Western Diocese; and Garegin II’s highly unpopular brother bishop Yezras of Diocese of Russia.
Instead of focusing on their mission as spiritual servants, Garegin II and his clansmen are exclusively obsessed with money- and wealth-grab. Along with his lackeys, Garegin II has entirely forgotten that he should be preoccupied with religion and the strengthening of faith among Armenian people paving their way to Jesus Christ; to God and Fatherland.
How can one be called a spiritual leader, who, in collaboration with his criminally-inclined relatives and cohort clergymen that are highly corrupted, organizes a massacre of peaceful demonstrators right in front of Armenian Church’s world headquarters in Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia? The situation in Armenia and even in the Diaspora is such that people are increasingly under the impression that a new Stalin with his henchman Peria have re-emerged and now are controling an international ring of criminal enterprise that prey on the weak and God-fearing faithful people (a devil at work). Now it is fair to state that “a Mafia of corrupted members of the Armenian Clergy” currently exists in the person of none other than Gargin II. Fake members of clergy that are worthy only to be described as like the Armenian saying goes Դրսից քահանա, ներսից սատանա — “Drsits Kahana, Nersits Satana” “priests from outside, evil in the inside.” Like one of Los Angeles Armenian American theologists critical of corrupted priests says “Dirty skeletons underneath the black robe.”
Today Armenian Apostolic Church — the 1700+-year-old national treasure of our people; a fortress of spiritual security, a bedrock on which stands the Armenian identity and the unshakable temple of Armenian faith is endangered because of diverse and many layers of corruption.
The author of that multifaceted and multilevel corruptness are none other than Garegin II and his cohorts.
Most of the clergy (belonging to the clan of Garegin II) are busy with business affairs or preoccupied by robbing our national treasures or robbing the faithful people.
If it continues on like this, our churches will become business centers (though some of them already have become); will become hubs for dealing with drug trafficking; or sex slavery rings; or such other illicit businesses for fast profits. Let’s not be surprised if Houses of God — the churches turn into casinos, night clubs, and so on.
It is highly advisable for good-hearted benefactors to withhold their generous donations until such time when corruption at all levels of Armenian Apostolic Church has been eradicated. I am heartened that several supporters are now not only holding back on giving donations but are whoelheartedly struggling to bring much needed reform to our embattled national treasure — Armenian Apostolic Church!
Dear Echmiadzin Armenians,
While it’s commendable that you are standing up and struggling in unity for justice and rule of law, please consecrate some time to join other Armenians who are actively postulating and struggling for a bright future for the civil society in Armenia and Diaspora.
Let’s not passively wait out until ‘after-the-fact,’ when some powerful and righteous individuals force his departure and only then we start criticizing him. The real courage is to speak out when corrupted Powers That Be are on their throne! After they’re gone, it’s useless and too late to talk or criticize! Beating or stoning a fallen person is easy. The important thing is, if one deserves punishment, the punishment should be administered at the right time so that the nation becomes keenly aware that we will not allow any injustice, abuse or exploitation.
The people of Echmiadzin deserve credit for their bravery!
Let’s make a unanimous decision on the Catholicos and his corrupted cohorts from his 4th Sovkhoz village.
It is the people of Echmiadzin who know them best and they are the ones who are keenly aware of their style of behavior.
Fellow Armenians of Echmiadzin, twin Armenian Republics and Diaspora, if you are really convinced that he is not worthy of being the Catholicos of All Armenians, then proceed to further raise your voice of opposition without hesitation and delay.
The overwhelming majority of Armenians in Armenia and Diaspora are deeply concerned and are demanding that an end be put to mass robbery, otherwise we, the entire Armenian nation with its Republic of Armenia and Armenian Diaspora, will suffer the dire consequences.
If our nation has survived throughout centuries by miracle, this new era will require from all nations something much more than miracles in order to survive: it requires supra-organization! It requires spra-discipline!
Many of us have long been saturated by fear. It is only with courage, strategic thinking and strong will that we can pursue our national and collective dreams for a socially just, militarily-powerful, economically and politically prosperous homeland for present and future generations.
Take heart Fellow Armenians in Etchmiadzin, and around the world, protesters shall arrive wave after wave and then the finale will be the Tsunami!
Please accept my best wishes for a Successful and Happy New Year and a Merry Armenian Christmas!