It is our Achilles heel as a people. We are strong on opinions and weak on collaboration. The politics in Armenia are a classic example. While our enemies threaten our very survival, we choose to engage in internal conflict. In the diaspora, our organizational landscape reflects continuous addition but little subtraction. We add groups at will while legacy groups struggle to survive generational transfer. While the real enemy in the diaspora is assimilation, the reality is we compete against each other for the limited mindshare that our brethren in the diaspora can offer for their faith and heritage. I think you all know what I am referring to. Unless we have been residing on a distant planet, it is clearly visible in our daily American-Armenian life. We have too many redundant organizations, some born out of a desire to keep traditional groups relevant and others launched with new ideas and not enough cooperation. There are many noble attempts by people of goodwill. The lineup has more to do with legacy political affiliations than a core mission. We have the AYF, Hamazkayin, ARF and ARS. In parallel, there is the AGBU, ACYOA and Tekeyan. We have the ANCA and the Assembly. Some organizations have evolved to being non-partisan such as the Knights of Vartan, NAASR or AIWA. Unlike the past, it is rare to see overt conflict between Armenian groups today. Skeptical? Look at the pages of the Baikar and Hairenik publications 40 to 50 years ago. Today’s challenge is that we have become a large conglomerate of groups with no organizational relationships with each other. Looking at the diaspora from the outside illustrates this point. In a corporate environment with a struggling market, we would strategically consolidate to optimize results and enable growth. It’s true we are not a corporation, but we do have limited resources, a target market and core capabilities. The challenge is that we have no mechanism to address this problem. Just keep the lights on. In the 125 years of an active diaspora, we have certainly created division but have little experience in strategic collaboration or alliance building. We live in silos. Thinking of the whole becomes very parochial.
Our beloved church is always a good barometer of community health. The month of May is a time of renewal for the church. The Feast of the Resurrection followed by the period of Eastertide usually occurs during the Diocesan assemblies. I say plural because like most things in our Armenian life we have to have at least two. We have two dioceses, two diocesan primates/prelates and two assemblies (Diocesan and National Representative Assembly, or NRA). I wish we could at least use the same terms. It would make explaining this redundancy to our youth easier. I have tried for many years. Relations are cordial today but still clearly administratively divided. My personal protest to the stain of our continued division has been to ignore its reality. I gladly support all Armenian churches. I spent many years as an NRA delegate and later as a delegate to the Diocesan Assembly. Usually when you remain separate and distinct, there are clear differentiators. There are a few, but generally we all live with the same hopes and challenges. I have often found it interesting that both dioceses constantly complain and are concerned about financial stability, yet they have significant tolerance for the wasteful spending created by the redundancy of separation. Are we looking at the American diaspora as a whole or just our piece of it? It is one of the many reasons why I abhor our division. It clouds our vision and limits our thinking. The diaspora lives under the constant threat of assimilation. We have no room for obvious inefficiencies.
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Dear Mr. Pilicyan; It is impossible not to applaud you for your courage to even bring such a cooperation idea to the table. Indeed it is one of the most desirable things, short of the two Houses finally combining under one roof/leader. Not being an expert or even well-informed bolsahay, when I moved to Canada, this concept of TWO Houses baffled me; as I recall, and as you mention in your thoughtful article, there was an attempt by Etchmiadzin to unite the Houses, thus accepting Karekin II of Guiligia, as Karekin I of Etchmiadzin (as ‘real’ head of ALL Armenians); unfortunately this attempt did not bear any fruit, and the division continues. Would you be so kind enough to elaborate on the reasons of this unsuccessful attempt, and possible lessons to be learned, so that the same mistakes will not be repeated in any future reunification attempts (if any; certainly not in my lifetime).
Absolutely agree with your article. I lived the division as anAYF during the Forties and Fifties it made no sense then and continues to make no sense now. It has always seemed to me as a political power play. No one is willing to give up their authority
Maybe the questions that need answers to heal this divide is who is the real heir of St. Gregory? Is it Grigor IX Musabekiantz, or Kirakos Virapetzi? Was the National Assembly of May 1441 legitimate? and several other questions. After a quick thought, I think If there are difficulties to answer these questions or one of the parties is unwilling to get or accept the answers to these questions after a factual examination of the past, both Catholicossates must agree to never question the authority of each other, and consider both Catholicoses spiritually equal without any operational boundaries or jurisdictions. At the same time, keeping the current status quote and not trying to switch church or priest affiliation (Prelacy or Diocesan) of the existing churches should be a precondition. After that, The Great House of Cilicia may consider the Catholicos of The Mother See of Etchmiadzin as primus inter pares due to the historical importance of Etchmiadzin Cathedral and the location of the Mother See (within our homeland). These all, if we are looking for an extensive and effective change on the spiritual ground.
The idea above might need more thinking and analysis since it may not be perfect. It offers a radical change in church powers and dynamics. Now if we are looking for baby steps to eliminate the divide. Let’s start here, on the east coast, at our Divine Liturgies. Every Sunday when the celebrant priest prays for the Catholicos, the Eastern Diocese mass mentions Catholicos of Etchmiadzin only; however, the Easter Prelacy mass mentions both Catholicoses, The Mother See of Etchmiadzin and The Great House of Cilicia. The Diocese Badrak states: «Եւս առաւել զեպիսկոպոսապետն մեր եւ զպատուական Հայրապետն Ամենայն Հայոց զՏէր Տէր Գարեգին սրբազնագոյն Կաթողիկոսն,…:» On the other hand, The Prelacy Badrak states: «Եւս առաւել զեպիսկոպոսապետն մեր զպատուական Հայրապետն Ամենայն Հայոց զՏէր Տէր Գարեգին սրբազնագոյն Կաթողիկոսն, եւ եպիսկոպոսապետն մեր զպատուական Հայրապետն Ամենայն Հայոց Մեծի Տանն Կիլիկիոյ զՏէր Տէր Արամ սրբազնագոյն Կաթողիկոսն,…:» (Many Youtube videos clearly show that)
Hence, if the Mother See of Etchmiadzin prays for both Catholicoses, it will be a good step towards unity and a small initiative to start abolishing the divide. In the end, both Catholicossates are national treasures, and both Catholicoses are Ամենայն Հայոց (For All Armenains) spiritually and in practice.
I am in agreement with Berc Aksay and Katherin Shahinians responses to Stepan Piligian’s very reasonable, couragous and sensible article. I am a grand nephew of Archbishop Zaven Der Yeghiayan, the Armeninan Patriarch of Constantinople during the 1915 (genocide era). He was instrumental in re-establishing the House of Cilicia Throne in the 1930ies for a good reason during those days where there was uncertainty of the fate of the Armenian Church leadership status and questionable ability of the Echmiadzin throne to lead. I tend to agree with Ms. K. Shahinian, that the obstacle that exists today is political. The two present Vehapars have limited ability to resolve the issue unless freed from the underying polical forces.