Latest news with #Catholicos
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Armenian PM pushes to unseat influential church head
Prime Minister Pashinyan and Catholicos Garegin II locked in a serious disagreement at the Mother See. The atmosphere is palpably tense. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday urged followers of the influential Armenian Apostolic Church to help unseat its spiritual leader, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. Relations between Pashinyan and the church leadership have sharply deteriorated in recent years. Garegin II repeatedly called for Pashinyan's resignation following Armenia's disastrous military defeats to arch-foe Azerbaijan over the then-disputed Karabakh region. The loss of Karabakh after Azerbaijan's lightning offensive in 2023 has divided Armenia, as its neighbour demands sweeping concessions in exchange for lasting peace. Last year, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan led mass protests accusing Pashinyan of ceding territory to Azerbaijan -- a movement that ultimately failed to topple the prime minister. Now Pashinyan has launched an unprecedented challenge to Garegin II, urging believers on social media to form a "coordination group" to organise the "liberation" of the church and elect a new Catholicos. "We need to create a coordination group to handle the organisational aspects of this agenda," Pashinyan said on Telegram, specifying that members should be clergy and lay followers. Pashinyan and his wife in late May alleged that the Catholicos has a child which prompted fierce opposition criticism and calls for the couple's excommunication. Armenia -- the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in the 4th century -- grants the Armenian Apostolic Church special constitutional status and the church wields considerable influence in Armenian society.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Armenian PM pushes to unseat influential church head
YEREVAN: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday urged followers of the influential Armenian Apostolic Church to help unseat its spiritual leader, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. Relations between Pashinyan and the church leadership have sharply deteriorated in recent years. Garegin II repeatedly called for Pashinyan's resignation following Armenia's disastrous military defeats to arch-foe Azerbaijan over the then-disputed Karabakh region. The loss of Karabakh after Azerbaijan's lightning offensive in 2023 has divided Armenia, as its neighbour demands sweeping concessions in exchange for lasting peace. Last year, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan led mass protests accusing Pashinyan of ceding territory to Azerbaijan -- a movement that ultimately failed to topple the prime minister. Now Pashinyan has launched an unprecedented challenge to Garegin II, urging believers on social media to form a 'coordination group' to organise the 'liberation' of the church and elect a new Catholicos. 'We need to create a coordination group to handle the organisational aspects of this agenda,' Pashinyan said on Telegram, specifying that members should be clergy and lay followers. Pashinyan and his wife in late May alleged that the Catholicos has a child which prompted fierce opposition criticism and calls for the couple's excommunication. Armenia -- the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in the 4th century -- grants the Armenian Apostolic Church special constitutional status and the church wields considerable influence in Armenian society.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Orthodox Church relieves Zacharias Mar Aprem of all administrative duties
A special session of the synod of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church here on Friday decided to relieve Metropolitan Zacharias Mar Aprem of the Adoor-Kadampanad Diocese from all diocesan administrative duties, responsibilities related to the Church's governance and his role at the Church's seminary until further notice. The decision follows a series of public remarks made by the Metropolitan a couple of weeks ago, which were found to be in conflict with the official positions of the Church. 'His statements appeared to question the authority of the 1934 constitution of the Malankara Church and diminish the importance of court rulings favourable to the Church, which have triggered protest among the faithful,'' the Church said in an official release The synod was convened under the leadership of Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews III in response to complaints concerning these statements. Seeks explanation The controversy began when Mar Aprem, while addressing parishioners at Chungathara and Chennithala earlier this month, alleged that the Church leadership had asked him to wrest control of certain Jacobite churches within his diocese by executing a judicial order. He claimed to have refused the request outright. These comments prompted the Catholicos to seek a formal explanation, which was then reviewed at the synod. The Metropolitan's repeated remarks, meanwhile, also fuelled speculation that he might be considering alignment with another faction of the Malankara Church, which maintains a strong presence in the Central Travancore region.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Orthodox Church rejects joint declaration backing Jacobite faction
Taking a strong exception to a common declaration by the heads of three Oriental Orthodox Churches in West Asia, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church here on Tuesday maintained that the declaration was issued by a regional body without any real authority. Though the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church welcomed the peace mediation efforts initiated by the heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, it firmly denounced the other contents in the joint declaration, which endorsed the decision of the Universal Holy Synod of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch to refrain from participating in any liturgical celebration and formal theological dialogues with the Orthodox faction. In a statement from its Department of Inter-Church Ecumenical Relations, the Orthodox Church emphasised its independent (autocephalous) status and unique apostolic tradition within the Oriental Orthodox family. It noted that since 2017, it has pushed back against efforts by the Antiochian Church to isolate the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church from global Orthodox gatherings, both legally and theologically. 'Regional assembly' While declaring that the decision was made by a regional assembly of the leaders of the three Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, the Orthodox church also contended that these leaders were misled by the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch. 'Neither the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church of Etchmiadzin, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, nor the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church were involved in the joint declaration. Apart from local groups and pan-Oriental dialogue platforms, there is currently no single representative body that speaks for all Oriental Orthodox Churches,' stated Inter-Church Ecumenical Relations department of the Orthodox Church. The said declaration, which followed the 15th meeting of the heads of three Oriental Orthodox Churches in West Asia the other day, stated that 'Pope Tawadros II and Catholicos Aram I expressed their solidarity and support regarding the decision'' of the universal synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch not to participate in any liturgical celebration and formal theological dialogues in the presence of the representatives of the separated faction of the Church in India. Meanwhile, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church also reiterated its objection to the recent consecration of Mar Baselios Joseph as the new Catholicos of the Jacobite Church by Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch. It alleged that this act was an attempt to create a parallel leadership structure within the Malankara Church. The Orthodox Church claimed this move violated the Church's constitution and was aimed at gaining international recognition for the Jacobite faction.
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Oriental Orthodox Churches intervene to mediate Malankara Church dispute
KOTTAYAM: In a major development in the efforts to resolve the disputes between Jacobite and Orthodox groups within the Malankara Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches have stepped forward to facilitate peace negotiations. The 15th meeting of the heads of the three Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, which concluded at St Bishoy's Monastery in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, on Sunday, decided to invite Mor Baselios Joseph, Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church and Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, to Cairo for discussions and help restore peace and unity in Malankara Church. As per the decision, which was taken to strengthen the internal unity and integrity of the Oriental Orthodox Family, Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark, and Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Orthodox Church of the Great House of Cilicia will lead the discussions in the presence of Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The date and further details will be released in accordance with the responses from both factions. Jacobite Church welcomes decision At the same time, in a major setback for the Orthodox Church, the common declaration of the Oriental Church heads' meeting noted that 'Pope Tawadros II and Catholicos Aram I also expressed their solidarity and support regarding the decision of the Universal Holy Synod of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch not to participate in any liturgical celebration and formal theological dialogues in the presence of the representatives of the separated faction of the Church in India.' Although the Orthodox faction reserved its official response for the time being, the decision has ignited significant protests among Church leaders. Orthodox Church sources said they won't accept the decisions made by only three members of the Oriental Churches as the decision of the entire Oriental Orthodox Churches.
