BY APPO JABARIAN
Executive Publisher / Managing Editor
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Last Saturday, a protest rally took place in front of the ‘Goveroun Bardez’ (‘Cows Garden’) in the Jerusalem Armenian Quarter. The protesters demanded the cancellation of the 99-year lease agreement illegally negotiated and railroaded by two representatives of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The protesters stated that Patriarch Nourhan Manougian and Real Estate Director father Bared Yeretsian did not have the authority to unilaterally sign the long-term lease. The protesters demanded the swift withdrawal of the signature from this agreement. Several activists urgently called for convening the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate General Assembly to annul the agreement. Many activists claimed that large segments of the Patriarchate’s clergy and lay people along with the Jerusalem Armenian community have no knowledge of the details of the illegal agreement.
In a conversation with USA Armenian Life, one of the participants mentioned that this is a deal made by individuals who did not have a mandate or authority· “We expect the authorities – Jordan, Palestine, Armenia – to take steps against this agreement. And this protest rally showed that the locals, Armenians and non-Armenians alike, cannot and will not remain silent, that is why they are anticipating the intervention by the legal authorities. We intend to fight with every means until the illegal lease is made null and void. “Of course, there must be a change, there will be a lot of pressure on the Patriarchate, and we hope there will be change on this issue soon,” said the activist.
Had the current Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin had a Catholicos with a supreme reputation and authority of His Holiness Vasken I with blessed memory, then he could have the moral right to form a national investigative body that could be sent to Jerusalem to investigate all matters of patriarchal property. However, since today’s occupier of the Holy Throne of Etchmiadzin Karekin II is morally bankrupt, it is vital that a Pan-Armenian Body be formed as soon as possible to investigate and check the condition of the monastery estate and the entire financial dealings.
All the Armenian religious orders – The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, The Great House of Cilicia, Constantinople Armenian Patriarchate, Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate, Mekhitarist Fathers’ Order, Bzommar Armenian Fathers’ Order and for that matter, all the Armenian institutions and national treasures around the world must be closely watched and scrutinized to avert any misappropriations by corrupt clergy and/or laypeople.
Another activist noted that “The Armenian nation has a central role and the very strong worldwide response by concerned Armenians is clear· Yes, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem operates independently, but at the same time it is an integral part of the Armenian nation. The Armenian nation can and has the right to investigate the state of affairs of all Armenian national treasures everywhere. We must bring clarify to our national affairs. It is worth mentioning that the Jordanian and Palestinian authorities, with the intervention of the Diaspora along with the Armenian authorities, must demand the termination of this agreement.”
This problem can be solved if Patriarch Nourhan withdraws his signature from the agreement, how should this condition, which was annulled by the members of Sts. Hagop Brotherhood, which, unfortunately, was not shown to them. It is the Congregation itself that should demand and discuss such agreements, but the place is not reserved for such a deal, so they are obliged to cancel this condition, said another activist.
The so-called ‘Patriarchate Pair’ — Patriarch Nourhan Manougian and father Bared Yeretsian are compounding the problems and are making the situation even more complicated by acting unilaterally and without any mandate. They should recuse themselves from all business dealings and focus exclusively on their spiritual mission. Let the Patriarchate General Assembly properly manage the real estate and financial assets under a shield of accountability and transparency.