"Khaghaghootiun Amenetzoon" (Peace Unto All) 


The above blessing is bestowed many times upon the congregants during Armenian 
Apostolic Church services in both North American Prelacy (Cilician See) and North 
American Diocese (Etchmiadzin See) churches.  And whether or not these Armenian 
Apostolic churches are under the Cilician See or Etchmiadzin See, they all use the exact 
same liturgy and hymns, whether they choose Egmalian, Gomidas, or a mix of both.


All Armenian Apostolic churches in North America christen babies, perform marriages, 
and give last rites.   And though Cilicia and Etchmiadzin churches are physically and 
administratively divided from one another, they claim to be religiously one.  But in 
reality, very few, if any of their clerics have gone out of their way to mend schism that 
evolved after the politically motivated assassination of Archbishop Tourian on December 
24, 1933.  This is confirmed by the fact that those who go to Prelacy churches continue 
going to Prelacy churches, while those going to Diocesan churches, continue going to 
Diocesan churches.   In fact, seeing separate commemorations of the 1915 Genocide of 
our people on April 24th has become so commonplace that very few people comment on 
it anymore.  Moreover, since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the miraculous independence 
for both our newest Republic of Armenian and our Mother See of Etchmiadzin, I have yet 
to see any of our supposedly “religiously one” Armenian Apostolic churches holding a 
combined Sunday service together.  Now I ask you:  Did Jesus Christ, our Savior, die on 
the cross to foment division among His followers or to unify the spirit of man?


Today’s divided religiously one Armenian Apostolic churches are quick to proclaim that 
it was the Armenian Church that has kept the soul of Armenia alive.  And though I would 
be the last to deny that the Armenian Church has indeed kept the soul of Armenia alive, 
let me be the first to also say that what may have been true in the past is not true today 
here in North America.


All of our Armenian Apostolic churches in North America face the same overpowering 
force of assimilation.  Yet, instead of uniting and confronting this powerful onslaught, our 
sky pilots are placing more emphasis on building more divided churches or in luxuriously 
renovating the old ones.   It would seem that they are more interested in building 
monuments glorifying themselves rather than in rebuilding the fractured soul of our 
divided churches and faith.


As things stand today, I cannot honestly say that I stand in awe of our present-day 
high-ranking  church leaders.  And, sad to say, the longer this debacle of two divided 
religiously one Armenian Apostolic churches, governed by two physically and 
administratively divided Armenian Sees continues, my overall respect will continue to 
lessen.  And speaking for all of our 1,500,000 Armenian martyrs who died believing in 
Armenian Apostolic faith, I say:  Sham on all those who are betraying the trust of our 
martyrs by perpetuating this infernal division.  


Joseph Vosbikian