Page 68 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Hierarchy and Decision-making
69
picture of the internal conditions that led the
clergy of Armenia to elect another catholicos.
Historians and scholars have suggested a
number of possibilities: The clergy in Ar-
menia invited Catholicos Krikor IX Musa-
begiants to transfer his seat to St. Etch-
miadzin, but he expressed reservations be-
cause of the strong Armenian presence in
Cilicia; he did not go because of his advanced
age; the clergy in Armenia elected a new
catholicos in St. Etchmiadzin without con-
sulting Catholicos Krikor IX Musabegiants; in
view of the geopolitical divisions of the
nation, the clergy in Cilicia and Armenia,
with the consent of Catholicos Musabegiants,
agreed to have the Church governed by two
catholicoi. The absence of concrete facts, clear
evidence, and well-substantiated reasons and
arguments has led to subjective and biased
interpretations. The clergy in Armenia de-
veloped the notion of 'return' of the Catholi-
cosate to Armenia; an approach which was
strongly contested by the clergy in Cilicia. In
any case, after the election of Giragos I
Virabetsi in Armenia, he and Catholicos
Krikor IX Musabegiants exchanged brotherly
greetings and the indivisible oneness of the
Armenian Church was firmly maintained
(see Appendix D for the list of the Catholicoi).
This strong commitment to the oneness of the
Church survived the difficult geopolitical
conditions during the ensuing centuries. The