NA deputy: Our faithful people will continue to defend their values,  their church, and their faith

ArmInfo.  These days, when the bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church-Archbishop Mikael Ajapayan, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, and Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan-are unlawfully imprisoned, unfortunately, we are witnessing unacceptable behavior by some clergy. Garnik Danielyan, a member of the National Assembly from the opposition "Armenia" faction, wrote on his Facebook page.

The latter, he stated, are consciously or unconsciously becoming  instruments in the hands of the current authorities, unwittingly  participating in the anti-church campaign. During the "liturgies,"  the parliamentarian continued, which are often performed by these  priests, the name of the Catholicos of All Armenians is not mentioned  at all. "Unfortunately, yesterday we witnessed a similar scene at the  Church of St. Hakob in Ararat. It is noteworthy that the head of the  same diocese, who did not refuse to shake the hand of the head of the  regime, had stated several months ago that the campaign launched by  Nikol Pashinyan should not be associated only with His Holiness the  Patriarch, but is a campaign against the Armenian Church.  Unfortunately, our society is not free from flaws and human  weaknesses are inherent in all strata of society. Nevertheless, the  Armenian Apostolic Church enjoys the support and trust of our people,  continuing to be a highly regarded institution.

Unlawfully imprisoned bishops continue to fight for our faith and  homeland from prison, serving as an example of what true spiritual  leaders should be. Against this backdrop, it is sad to see the  behavior of several clergy who speak out against their mother church.  Fortunately, there are few of them. This policy of church corruption,  which is also the enemy's goal, is doomed to failure. The Armenian  Apostolic Church, with its 1,700-year history,  is not only a  spiritual institution but also the guarantor of our identity. The  words we often say, emphasizing that our church has replaced the  state for centuries, are not an exaggeration, but a historical  reality. Anyone who opposes the church opposes God.

I am confident that our faithful people, recognizing all this, will  continue to defend their values, their church, their faith, and their  identity," Garnik Danielyan emphasized.