Page 49 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

50 The Armenian Church

suspected. After World War II, the anti-
religious campaign eased somewhat and
church-state relations took a new turn. The
Soviets realized that the church could render
valuable service to the state by extending
its influence, in different ways and forms,
outside the Soviet Union. Such attempts
increased the tension, and the relations
between Armenia and the diaspora were
further polarized. In the following decades,
the Soviet Union became more tolerant to-
wards the Armenian Church. Some churches
and monasteries were opened, church ac-
tivities were reorganized, and a limited
spiritual and cultural revival started to take
shape and expression in Armenia.
In the diaspora, Armenians had to build
their lives all over again. At the beginning,
they had difficulty settling and adjusting to
local conditions. The transition from refugee
to community building took time, hard work,
and total dedication. The situation took its
toll on the Armenian Church as well. The
Patriarchate of Jerusalem, because of the
Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Patriarchate
of Constantinople, because of the genocide,
were considerably weakened, losing most
of their clergy, faithful, and authority. The
Catholicosate of Cilicia played an instru-
mental role in reactivating and renewing the
mission of the Armenian Church in the
diaspora under the most complex and critical