Tell Me Who Your Friends Are…
Posted on October. 13. 2019
October. 11. 2019
BY APPO JABARIAN
Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine print/electronic editions
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In early Sept., Dr. Vicken Hovsepian of ARF Western U.S., and his wife of Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) person Nora Hovsepian, Esq. announced that Arch. Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, will be honored with Khrimian Hayrig Award at this year’s Gala Banquet.
The Hovsepians gross disregard of their proposed honoree Derderian’s ever-growing litany of wrongdoings has triggered a backlash. See the Aug. 12, 2019 Armenian Church Reform Special Report titled “Twenty-Plus Reasons Why Hovnan Derderian’s Time Has Come to End” at the following link: http://www.armenianlife.com/2019/08/16/twenty-plus-reasons-why-hovnan-derderians-time-has-come-to-end/
The Hovsepian’s press release states: “His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian graduated from the theological seminary of the Cilician Catholicosate in Bikfaya, Lebanon in 1975.”
According to reliable sources, Derderian has never graduated from the seminary in Lebanon. He was expelled because of illegitimate sexual acts breaking his celibacy vows. He was also a notorious gossiper and innuendo disseminator within the seminary. By Honoring such a discredited clergy – a notoriously immoral, liar, and thief like Derderian, ANCA-WR’s Nora Hovsepian is desecrating the Armenian Apostolic Church, ruining the reputation of ANCA throughout the world and committing blasphemy against Christian religion.
The press release continued: “In 1990, Very Rev. Father Hovnan Derderian was elected Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, whereupon he was elevated to the rank of Bishop and later as Archbishop.”
Does Nora Hovsepian know that the proposed honoree Derderian was caught red-handed in embezzlement of funds in Canada from a fund especially set-up to assist Armenia- and Artsakh-based widows and fatherless children? It’s interesting to note that the proposed honoree was expelled from his position as primate of Canada Diocese?
In 2003, Derderian was forced upon the Western Diocese as their new primate while the unwitting Western Diocese parishioners and supporters were clueless about Derderian’s many wrongdoings in Canada and Lebanon. Hovsepian’s misdeed is a blatant and shameless disregard of the Armenian community’s outrage against a persona non-grata like Derderian who has hijacked the Diocese seat for another term by openly breaking the By-Laws of the Diocese.
Fast-forward to 2019. One wonders, in order to receive The Khrimian Hayrig Award, what set of promises has Derderian made to, and what reciprocal awards will he ‘gift’ to Dr. and Mrs. Vicken and Nora Hovsepian?
Furthermore, how much will Derderian ‘donate’ to Vicken Hovsepian’s bank by way of depositing millions of dollars belonging to the Western Diocese? Where have been deposited the multimillion-dollar funds of the Western Diocese Endowment Fund? Are they all deposited at Hovsepian’s bank? If so, then, for Derderian, that would be a effective way to bribe and make a last-ditch attempt to rescue his tarnished reputation through a high-profile organization like ANCA-WR at the expense of the organization itself.
“The Khrimian Hayrig Award represents an acknowledgment of exemplary service and devotion to the Armenian people by a religious leader. Archbishop Derderian for decades has personified this special type of commitment to the Armenian Nation and has collaborated closely with the ANCA-WR to advance the Armenian Cause,” remarked ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq.
Contrary to Derderian’s treacherous undermining the Armenian Nation and its Cause through covert support of the now-infamous anti-Armenian Turkish Protocols, His Holiness Khrimian Hayrig, Catholicos of All Armenians unlike Derderian, led a valiant political struggle in support of the Armenia Nation and its Cause.
ANCA-WR gala banquet shouldn’t serve as the venue for any kind of award to Derderian. The most appropriate venue is non-other than Ankara’s ottoman-style presidential palace of Turkish Dictator Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in presence of all the archenemies of Armenians ‘The Turkish Grey Wolves’ and their infamous leader Hasan Oktay who is in close collaboration with The informant of Istanbul Arch. Aram Ateshian who is a close ally of Arch. Hovnan Derderian and anti-Christian and anti-Armenian Karekin II and his blood-brother Arch. Yezras of Moscow.
The press release mentioned that “Recognizing the importance of cultivating and maintaining strong ties between the youth and the Church, Archbishop Derderian has also taken active steps to establish and expand numerous Saturday schools and Sunday schools, as well as an expansion of the Armenian Church Youth Organization, and the Nerouj program for youth empowerment and strengthening connections of young professionals with the Church.”
Contrary to Nora Hovsepian’s misrepresentations, it is under Derderian’s watch that the Armenian youth participation in community and church activities has dwindled and now sadly, according federal and state government sources, over 18,000 Armenian youth are now either imprisoned, or have become gang members, or become drug-addicts causing irreparable damage to themselves, their families, their people and their national church in Western U.S. and beyond. Nowadays, more than anything the Armenian church under Derderian and his business associate Manouk Markaryan is serving more like funeral parlor than anything else. One can imagine the level of management under Derderian when the embattled primate has ‘proudly’ appointed Pastor Markaryan as his personal advisor and official spokesman of Western Diocese disregarding the fact Pastor Markaryan has been officially declared a “liar” in a U.S. Court by Judge Hammock. According to recently revealed documents from the archives, Markaryan was also caught as a thief by the late Pastor Vardan Tadevosyan of St. John Garabed Armenian Church in Hollywood.
The cronies of the Hovsepians also boast that Derderian is a primary asset for the fledgling fundraising efforts for Armenian American Museum when in fact a number of potential major benefactors, upon seeing Derderian’s name in the letterheads and brochures, have decided to abstain from making any donations until Derderian resigns from the Armenian American Museum Board and The Western Diocese in general.
Recently Hovnan Derderian was forced to seek funds from outside United States because members of the American Armenian community who have become keenly aware of his real persona, have started holding off on making any kind of donations to the Western Diocese and any other communitywide project or organization that Derderian is involved in.
I am very confident that Khrimian Hayrig of blessed memory must be turning in his grave upon seeing his good name and holy memory desecrated at the hands of individuals like Vicken and Nora Hovsepian.
Apparently, the mistakes, committed day after day, by Vicken and Nora Hovsepian’s camp are causing Vicken Hovsepian’s own pyramid within the ARF-WR Tashnag Party to begin collapsing or, in the best scenario, continue drowning deeper into a political quicksand.
If the recipient has any self-respect and honour will decline the award for the sake of the reputation and status Catholicos Khrimian Hayrik has in the history of our church. The recipient if he dos’t remember who and what Khrimian Hayrik represents in the spiritual life of our church and nation he should atleast have the grace to honour the saintly figure of our late Catholicos of Blessed memory Vazgen I, for whom Khrimian Hayrik served as a model of priesthood.
Rev. Nerses, if you are Dr. in the church, how come you have not said anything about a married priest Asoghik Karapetyan, who divorced his wife and left his children and was recently made a “celibate priest” by giving him the veghar by the Catholicos? Isn’t this breach of canons of the church?
The ARF and ANC continue their insistence on running dictatorships that do not represent the will of the majority of Armenians. Then they have the chutzpah to say that assimilation and attrition explain the lack of involvement in their activities. Tell the truth: you have driven people away with your misguided policies. That explains the lack of involvement far better.