The clergy of the Canadian-Armenian Diocese issued a statement referring to the recent statements addressed to Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; It is forbidden to force a person to renounce or change his opinion,” the statement said adding that it is not an ordinary citizen who expresses an opinion, but the Catholicos of All Armenians.
“We expect the authorities to be pro-government, proactive and respectful of national values.”
To note, Karekin II had considered it important to release ex-President Robert Kocharyan from custody, whereas parliament vice president Alen Simonyan had recalled that the public once demanded the resignation of the Catholicos, and in his remarks, he had also referred to the secular name of Karekin II.
