On May 15, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a Supreme Spiritual Council meeting was held in Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The meeting was attended by Diocesan Primates from Armenia, Bishops and lay members. During the meeting, diocesan, liturgical and disciplinary issues were discussed.
At the opening of the meeting, a review was made of the recent tragic events of an earthquake and flood in Georgia, during which citizens of Georgia were killed. Members of the council expressed their condolences to the people of Georgia, Georgian authorities and to the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The council also noted, with deep regret, the collapse of the bell tower on the St. Nshan Armenian Church of Tbilisi. His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakahnian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgian, provided information to the members on the emergency situation, and the steps taken in reaction to the situation at the St. Nshan Church.
The Primate was advised to continue working with relevant Georgian authorities to speed up the repair efforts to the St. Nshan Church, as well as to carry on his efforts in securing the return of the collapsed Shamkhoretsots Red Gospel and Mughnetsots St. Gevork churches.
The Supreme Spiritual Council also expressed hope that the Georgian authorities would respond to the applications, and restore the rights of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia to administer to the Armenian historical sanctuaries, thus enabling the diocese and her faithful brave sons to provide them with proper care, sparing further damage and collapse.
During the meeting a number of problems related to Diocesan activities were discussed, in regards to church property and grounds. A recommendation was made to the Diocesan Primates to: undertake high-quality work; compile a comprehensive inventory of church properties in each diocese; and take measures to ensure their maintenance and protection for proper use. They were also assigned the task to hasten the listing and submission process for historical-cultural monument churches and sanctuaries, which are not legally registered to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The council stressed that this was a necessary process for effective management and upkeep of properties within each Diocese.
The Supreme Spiritual Council was informed that His Eminence Archbishop Yeznik Petrosian, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Armenia, was appointed by Pontifical Order to serve as the Vicar in the Tavush Province.
