Window Quarterly Vol. 2, No. 2, 1991 Copyright 1991 [Permission is granted to use, print, reproduce this article provided the following acknowledgment is given: From Window Quarterly 2, 2 (1991); ACRAG c. 1991. *** The International Conference of Armenian Clergy by Fr. Vazken Movsesian The elderly priest arrived in the Bronx on Monday morning. He greeted friends and "brothers" he had not seen in years, some since his days at the seminary. They had gathered at this retreat center on the Hudson River to discuss the current trends in the Church and arrive at some meaningful conclusions. His participation at the conference, he knew, was purely symbolic. After all, he had been through these types of meetings before: the clergy get together; issues are brought to forum; the vartabeds give their opinions; the bishops make the decisions and they leave. That was the system in the past, and this priest had no anticipation of a change for this meeting. He was there as an observer. But this was not the past and certainly not the system. The year is 1991 and the place is New York, at the Cardinal Spellman Retreat Center, where clergy from five continents gathered to discuss concerns of the Armenian Church. Rank and position were certainly respected but by no means intimidating to the voices that spoke up. Each participant was the possessor of a mutual Calling and this was an opportunity to engage in dialogue about the most vital issues of the Church they served. The hot, humid and stale air of a Summers day in New York was cooled by the air conditioners. That drift of air into the meeting room was the extent of any artificial means of movement. Dialogue was flowing in a dynamic manner during the days of June 17-21, 1991. This was the first international conference of Armenian clergy. Over sixty clergymen accepted the invitation to attend. The gathering was organized by the Primates of the North American Dioceses and financed by philanthropist Louise Simone. The hierarchical sees each sent representatives yet, to the disappointment of all, the delegation of the House of Cilicia had refused the invitation to participate. Although Antelias' attendance was deemed important, their absence did not hamper the atmosphere of brotherly respect and fellowship. After reading a letter from His Holiness Vazken I, which officially conveyed the blessings of the Catholicos upon the meeting, a council was elected to run the meeting. Abp Vatche Hovsepian was elected president of the assembly, along with Abp. Zaven Chinchinian of Egypt, Bp. Mesrob Krikorian of Vienna and Bp. Khajag Barsamian of the Eastern Diocese. Abp. Hovsepian's comments addressed various issues that are pressing for answers. Many of his points became the focus of subsequent discussions during the week. The theme of the first two sessions was the spiritual awakening in Armenia. Bishop Barkev Mardirossian and Father Abraham Mgrdtchian presented an overview of the Church's renaissance in Armenia. There was no effort to hide the fact that the Church is ill-prepared to deal with this "spiritual awakening." Today in Armenia, not only can churches be renovated, but new churches may be built. Bishop Barkev answered many questions from the clergy, mostly about the political climate and situation in Kharabagh, especially in regard to the relations of the Church with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments. Bp. Barkev was thoroughly convinced --ironically, a conviction which was difficult to transfer to this audience --that the only hope for salvation would be from God. The discussion intensified when the issue of cults in Armenia surfaced. The Church finds itself in a very competitive environment. What began as a means of dealing with grief in post-earthquake Armenia, has now become a battle to "win souls." Perhaps the greater battle is against Armenian Christian denominations. The Armenian Roman Catholic Church and Armenian Protestants have set up camp, challenging the Armenian Church in its once exclusive domain. With cults, the opposition is easy to target. However, people who are re-awakening to the Christian message, find it difficult to comprehend the differences between Christian denominations. The struggle with cults is parallel to the situation in the diaspora. Modern means and media are utilized by these newly arrived groups, while the Armenian Church is limited by primitive means. Furthermore, the propagation of non- Armenian Church groups is a thorn upon the blossoming rose of freedom. We in the diaspora are pinched --and more often than not wounded -- by this thorn daily. It leads us to question the value of the diaspora's advice to Armenia. Inherent in any democracy is the right to the freedom of conscience. While we may hope for a relationship between Church and State as is enjoyed by the Church of England, the right to worship elsewhere is still a guarantee of English citizenship. Participants at the conference were eager to voice their concern over the expansionist goals of Christian denominations. Protest to the Vatican, to Etchmiadzin and to the government of Armenia were seen as a means of repressing their progress. Yet, the worker in the field, Fr. Abraham, advised, "If you want to do nothing, then write letters of protest." The battle of the Church in Armenia cannot be won by legislation, but only by providing for the spiritual needs of the people. Bishop Mesrob Krikorian of Austria addressed the conference about the spiritual awakening in the diaspora. He began his speech with a candid question, "Is there or isn't there a spiritual awakening in the diaspora?" The Church in the diaspora is not uniformed and therefore, not easily defined by generalizations. For instance, over the past few decades a number of Armenian-American men have been moved to enter the priesthood. Yet during the same time period, Bp. Mesrob cannot recall even one Armenian in Europe accepting the call. Subsequently, various papers were presented by a number of clergymen (see middle pages of this issue for a list of presentations). Six sub-committees were formed, headed by a president, to explore issues in the Church. 1) Relations between Church and State: Bp. Voskan Kalpakian 2) Christian education in Armenia: Bp. Hovnan Derderian 3) Denominations and sects: Bp. Mesrob Moutafian 4) Unity of the Church: Abp. Zaven Chinchinian 5) Youth movements: Bp. Kisag Mouradian 6) Liturgical issues and the Book of Rituals: Bp. Aghan Baliozian The deliberations of these sub-committees as well as the conclusions of the entire conference were to be compiled and sent to the Catholicos. Officially, the conference held the status of a consultation. To a Church in need of emergency care and attention-- whether in Armenia or in the diaspora--this conference was a positive sign that help is on the way. The fact that the problems facing the Church were openly and candidly brought to forum is a major achievement and certainly the first step toward recovery. *** STATISTICS compiled by the Armenian Church Research and Analysis Group from registered participants at the International Conference of Armenian Clergy. RANKS OF THE PARTICIPANTS Bishops 25% Celibate Priests 32% Married Priests 39% Deacons 4% GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICIPANTS United States 58.0% Eastern 42%, Western 16% Europe 18.0% Middle East 7.2% Armenia 5.3% Canada 5.3% South America 3.6% Australia 1.7% AGES OF THE PARTICIPANTS* Average Age 49 yrs Youngest 29 yrs Oldest 73 yrs AVERAGE AGE OF Bishops 50 yrs Celibate Priests 43 yrs Married Priests 56 yrs Deacons 29 yrs *The ages of the bishops and the celibate priests are based on the data printed in the litergucal calendars of Holy Etchmiadzin and Jerusalem. The ages of the married priests are based on the estimates of ACRAG. =================================================== _ _ _ _ _ |_| ___ _| | ___ _ _ _ | | | | | | _ / _ \ / _ | / _ \ | | | | | | | |_| |_| || |_ | | | || |_| || |_| || |_| |_| | \_________/\___||_| |_| \___/ \___/ \_________/ View Of The Armenian Church ===================================================