A message in my email this morning. The election was stolen False accusations and manipulations Serious infractions of Diocese Bylaws CANADIAN ARMENIANS CHEATED BY THE ACTIONS OF A FEW WELL ORGANIZED INDIVIDUALS ... On May 25th, at the Annual General Meeting in Montreal of the Diocesan Assembly of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Canada, a campaign organized and carried out by a small group of individuals without the support of the vast majority of our community achieved its goal of unseating popular Canadian Primate Bishop Bagrat Galstanian. And when the voice of the people roared with indignation through several grass roots internet and hand written petitions that to date have gathered over 4,000 signatures, they brushed this off as the actions of “uninformed and ignorant people who will soon forget and go back to their daily lives”. What arrogance for them to say such things about the people of our community. Along the way several of the actions of this small group of individuals were in direct violation of the Diocese Bylaws, which were recently revised and approved by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of Armenians. The Bylaw irregularities were as follows: They maneuvered church officials to deprive legally qualified delegates and clergy from Parishes and Missions in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, St. Catherines and Ottawa of their right to attend the meeting and to vote. In addition, the Montreal Parish had two more delegates than allowed by the Bylaws. All of these were to the detriment of Bishop Galstanian, who otherwise would have won the election by a vote of 29 to 21 instead of losing it 24 to 23. These Bylaw infractions have been brought to the attention of His Holiness in Etchmiadzin, by both elected delegates and by dedicated churchgoers who for years have generously donated to our church. The small group of individuals who carried out this organized campaign against Bishop Galstanian wrongly accuse him for all the delays and financial shortcomings of the partially completed new church in Laval, forgetting to mention that the project was always under the full control of the Laval Parish Council and the Diocesan Council. At three important milestones their plans and activities were formally presented to and approved by the Diocesan Board of Trustees Chaired by Dr. Arshavir Gundjian with the concurrence of Trustee Dr. Arto Demirdjian. In an unsigned mass e-mail issued by this group of individuals on June 6th, they claim that the election was legitimate and that everything was according to the Bylaws. It most definitely was not. Furthermore the false accusations with which they persuaded several of the delegates to vote against Bishop Galstanian have deprived it of all moral credibility. In their mass e-mail and in private and public discussion that they have had in various Armenian community centres in Montreal, this small group of individuals also issued a veiled threat that if the voice of the people was not quickly silenced, they would disclose “negative and other serious elements”. We can only imagine what they will dream up. As for Bishop Galstanian, during his 10 years in Canada he strengthened the church and its Canadian Diocese in every aspect. He organized and set up new Mission Parishes in Calgary and Edmonton, regularly visited small Armenian communities in Yellowknife, Halifax and Moncton, and strengthened the bond between the established large Parishes. He has set up Hay Doun, a social services organization that has helped over 20 families relocate to Canada from war torn Iraq and now working to do the same from Syria, and provided assistance to those that are less fortunate than us. He has strengthened the Children’s Fund For Armenia, the Canadian Youth Mission to Armenia, and the Ararat Summer Camp which hundreds of youth from across Canada attend every year. He has established an active Youth Ministry that has attracted numerous youth to our church and to church activities across Canada. And he has reestablished the Canadian Diocese Endowment Fund, which during the past five years has increased its liquid assets to $650,000, and which in the longer term can help finance the continued growth of our church. He has led the fundraising activities of the Diocese and personally brought in over 2/3 of all of its donations, including $600,000 from outside the country and from non-Armenians. During his time as Primate he personally donated $140,000 to the Diocese and $25,000 to the Canadian Diocese Endowment Fund, and took out a $100,000 life insurance policy with the Diocese as beneficiary. And when he first came to Canada and found that the Diocese was in need of money, he voluntarily cut his salary until the situation improved. Above all, with his youthful and charismatic leadership he has made the church an inviting place for our sons, daughters and grandchildren. They truly love him, and with his guidance they have come to love our revitalized church. The voice of the people has in the past few years brought down powerful dictators and leaders of political parties and governments in many parts of the world. History has shown that they cannot be silenced by intimidation and threats, and those that do not listen to them do so at their peril. Do not underestimate the power of the people when their anger is aroused. This letter is based on first hand information and verified facts and is issued by concerned members of our church on behalf of the 4,000 people who signed the petitions
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:51:10 +0000
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