Archbishop Grigoris BUNIATIAN on the Armenian Community, Kyiv Rus’, and Christian unity
This time The Day’s guest is His Eminence Archbishop Grigoris Buniatian, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Ecumenical Church. Compared to Eastern Orthodox, Greek Catholic adherents, or Baptists, the Armenian Apostolic Church does not have a large community in Ukraine, but its faithful represent one of the world’s oldest Christian churches. These people have retained their faith through centuries and hard, often bloody ordeals, without merging with other larger churches. These people are Ukrainian citizens, descendants of many an Armenian generation inhabiting this land since time immemorial, and they have never been involved in any interethnic conflicts.
Your Eminence, how and when did Armenians begin to settle in Ukraine, establishing ethnic communities and building houses of God?
Catholicos: The Armenian Church has never been separated from any Armenian communities abroad. Ukraine is no exception. Every time Armenians for various reasons — most often tragic — had to settle outside their native land, they would always set up communities and build churches. The Church, in turn, has always been actively involved in their life, helping them in every way possible. Armenians first appeared in Ukraine in the tenth century, immediately after the baptism of Kyiv Rus’. A number of Armenian noblemen were always in attendance at the Byzantine court. In fact, several Byzantine emperors were of Armenian descent, and there was an Armenian congregation with an Armenian church at the court in the Middle Ages. Armenians were now and then assigned diplomatic missions and helped maintain contacts between the empire and newly converted Christian states. Some historical sources point to Princess Anna, the Byzantine wife of Prince Volodymyr, being of Armenian origin, and that she arrived in Kyiv with a number of Armenians, particularly clergymen, in her retinue. They formed the nucleus of the Armenian community in Kyiv Rus’ and later in Ukraine.
The Crimea was another route Armenian merchants and craftsmen used, settling in coastal cities, beginning in the eleventh century. In the thirteenth century, sizable Armenian communities appeared in Kaffa (current Feodosiya), Old Crimea, Sudak, and elsewhere. Armenians representing various strata settled in the Crimea, fleeing from nomads and after Armenia lost independence. At times political disasters coincided with natural calamities, as was the case with earthquakes in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Armenians communities in the Crimea were always well organized and lived under their own national rules. They had privileges granted by the authorities, built churches, and remained in contact with other ethnic communities elsewhere in the Pontus.
The Armenian community in the Crimea and its church life thrived in the nineteenth century, with 34 temples in Feodosiya alone, including the Church of St. Sarkis, built in the twelfth century and still functioning. There are many Armenian historic sites in the Crimea. A graphic example is the surviving Church of the Surpkhach (the Holy Cross) near Old Crimea. A number of people were born in the Crimea, later to become noted figures in imperial Russia, among them the artist Aivazovsky, who was buried in Feodosiya in an Armenian churchyard.
Armenians began to spread in the Crimea and elsewhere since olden times (in Lviv, former Transylvania, Odesa, Akkerman [currently Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky]), and the Church was always there. Over sixty old religious architectural sites have survived in Ukraine. The latest, a beautiful church kept in the Armenian style, was built in Yalta late in the last century.
The Soviets liquidated the Armenian Church in Ukraine. Not a single temple or religious community was left functioning after the 1930s. Religious structures, even the most ancient, were ruthlessly desecrated. The first Armenian clergyman to appear in Ukraine after decades of isolation was Nathan Oganesian, later ordained bishop and head of our Church in Ukraine. The Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church was formed in 1993. In that period, after the horrible earthquake at Spitak [December 7, 1988], political cataclysms at the turn of the decade, and the Nagorno-Karabakh hostilities, a large number of Armenians resettled in Ukraine, in Kyiv, Kherson, Odesa, Simferopol, and other cities.
The latest census points to some 100,000 Armenians residing in Ukraine, although the actual number is considerably larger, for many Armenians live there officially unregistered. Armenian ethnic communities are found in many Ukrainian cities (twenty on record). The authorities allow them to take possession of religious structures that are repaired and restored. New structures are built. It’s a pity that we don’t have a seminary and we lack parish priests; there are now twelve, and each must minister to several congregations in different areas.
Armenians have been present in Ukraine for more than a thousand years. How do these people feel here? Have they ever been persecuted or suffered any kind of intolerance, animosity? What do you think of Ukrainian tolerance?
Catholicos: No one has been unfriendly toward the Armenians in Ukraine, not since the tenth century, and they have never been discriminated against or victims of violence there. I wouldn’t use tolerance in describing the Ukrainians, because this notion is usually associated with enmity, confrontation, conflicts, and inequality (the Catholicos is right, you cannot tolerate somebody if you like them; you need not tolerate ice cream if you already like ice cream in the first place — Ed.). None of these has been the case, except infrequent manifestations of the Soviet bureaucratic mentality in dealing with some issue or another.
The ancient Armenian Church is respected all over the world, yet it is not a member of the Ecumenical Orthodoxy, since your creed has certain distinctions. Your Church did not recognize the rulings of the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451), and after that did not participate in Ecumenical Orthodox life. That council marked the division of the Christian world into Monophysites and Dyophysites, in other words those believing that Jesus Christ possesses a single divine nature and those insisting that He has both a divine and a human nature. The Armenian Church has remained Monophysitic, yet the Armenians consider themselves Orthodox. Would you explain this to our readers?
Catholicos: The Armenians regard their Church as Orthodox, and our Church is certainly Orthodox. We do recognize the decisions of the first three ecumenical councils that adopted the Creed, to which we have unswervingly adhered. The Armenian Church did not participate in the sessions of the Council of Chalcedon, as our holy fathers believed that all the basic dogma had been adopted by the preceding three councils. All subsequent debate and resolutions were political rather than theological. Let me stress that, just as political passions were boiling at the fourth council, Armenians were defending the Christian world, fighting Iran’s pagan fire-worshippers. This is a historical fact. Most importantly, the Armenian Apostolic Church has for almost two millennia lived in keeping with the Apostolic and ecumenical councils’ dogmata, enactments, and canons. And the Armenian Church recognizes Jesus Christ as having a divine and a human nature, and that both were manifest simultaneously, at every moment of His life on this earth.
What are the relationships between the Armenian Church and the “Chalcedonian” Catholic and Orthodox churches?
Catholicos: The Armenian Church has always sought neighborly relationships with the other Christian churches; we maintain normal contacts with the Patriarch of Constantinople, with the Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other traditional churches. We also believe that there will be accord among Christians. We understand Christian unity not as a unification of church structures, rites, and so on. Even different eparchies and communities of the same Church can have certain distinctions in terms of church life. The Church is a giant organism, so it cannot avoid having some degree of versatility. There must be no monotony. Even geographic factors might well influence religious life and architecture.
Take an example. The architects of Armenian church structures were obviously inspired by the beauty and grandeur of the mountains surrounding Armenia. A number of rites are also associated with the mountains. On Ascension Day, believers put on their best clothes and climb the mountains as high as they can get, following winding narrow footpaths, collecting valley flowers, weaving wreaths, and singing religious songs. Often on such occasions they visit temples and monasteries high in the mountains. Must we discard all this? This is part of our folk culture.
The distinctions and specifics inherent in some religious communities should not antagonize others. Despite all such distinctions in terms of culture, rites, or language, a spirit of unity is possible and should be asserted. After all, diversity enriches one and all, every Church makes its own contribution to culture. The Eucharist is one for all Christians, so one should expect Eucharistic unity as the supreme form of accord among all Christian churches. It will come.
How do you feel about the current situation in the Ukrainian Orthodox community — discord and various jurisdictions? Two independent churches with one being part of the Russian Orthodox Church?
Catholicos: I have my own view on this issue. Of course, unity, peace, and accord have to be achieved first. I also believe that the Orthodox spirit is not contradicted by the presence of independent Orthodox churches. I am sure that no one can reject this, yet all this should be in an atmosphere of brotherly Christian love and based on a constructive approach.
— P.S.: Archbishop Grigoris Buniatian of the Armenian Orthodox Ecumenical Church was born in Echmiadzin. He began to go to Church and take part in divine services at the age of eight, despite all the interdictions and other obstacles then in force. In 1966, he graduated from the Theological Academy of Echmiadzin and was ordained hieromonk in 1969. Archbishop Grigoris Buniatian is versed not only in the Armenian Church. After the academy, he studied at the Catholic Theological Institute in Paris and at the Theological Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church on the grounds of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius. He knows several languages and has been in charge of Armenian religious communities in Argentina, Armenia, France, and other countries; he worked as Rector of the Theological Academy of Echmiadzin. Since 2001, following Bishop Nathan’s transfer to the Armenian eparchy in England, he has supervised the Armenian eparchy in Ukraine.
