YEREVAN—Armenian National Congress leader Levon Ter-Petrosian explained Tuesday that his lack of support for Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian’s hunger strike stemmed from his strict Christian principles.
“Christianity to me is primarily a moral code [of conduct],” the radical opposition newspaper, Haykakan Zhamank, on Tuesday quoted Ter-Petrosian as explaining his snub. “This code categorically rejects the blatant display of virtues—piety, charity, humility—including a public display of fasting. When a virtue is put on exhibit, it ceases to be a virtue.”
Hovannisian, who began a hunger strike in Liberty Square, demanding the snap polls in Armenia on March 15, was snubbed by Ter-Petrosian and other Armenian National Congress leaders last Thursday, when after leading a rally to Liberty Square ignored Hovannisian, despite reports that upon entering Liberty Square the crowd of protesters began chanting “Raffi, Raffi…”
Hovannisian saw this as a politically calculated step from Ter-Petrosian and claimed that the first president of the republic was back-peddling from his convictions, upon which the Armenian National Congress was created.
Ter-Petrosian continued his explanation by quoting a prominent Armenian Church figure from the fifth century, Hovhan Madakuni, who said: “Satan destroys a person that’s fasting who puts himself above others and wants to make his actions public for others to admire his courage.”
“If Raffi Hovannisian went on a hunger strike with specific political demands, instead of showing off, I would welcome that and express my full support,” added Ter-Petrosian.
Levon should not have right to talk about “Christianity”.
He is not even Christian, and for sure does not respect Armenian church.
How can he explain when Garegin Second pursonoly went to see hem on the eve of march,1,2008?
He did not even open the door and did not want to see him the Catolicos of all Armenians.
Since when is the Armenian church practising what it preaches? Tell our clergy and church leaders to respect our church or Christian morals first.!!
wasn’t he, who rejected our Catholicos mediation during March 2008 riots?? I wonder sometimes how a communist can become a devoted Christian.. and I am so surprise, about his fast ability to dig out, our Holy Bible, and find a “right” wording for Raffi!!
Ter Petrossian ,is full of male bovine excrement too.Where is the real Christian virtue? Compassion…to one’s suffering.What a selective choice of “virtues” AH.
The human wisdom is vast. For every man there is a quotation to insult and a quotation to praise. One can also simply keep the tongue still.
Levon, as a rule, chooses to insult. Not wise. And very rude.
As if LTP is somehow a Christian? Oh, please. The man was utterly corrupt when in office.
Fasting in public as a protest has been done for decades if not hundreds of years. People do all sorts of penance in public.
I recall all-night vigils held by the AYF around April 24 too. People stay up all night with a lot of effort. People also do sit-ins in public and go for days without bathing or eating well.
I hope no one takes LTP seriously.
Levon is married to a jew. He has no belives in Christianity.
DIDN’T JESUS FAST FOR 40 DAYS?
Since when is this traitor of his nation and faith a Christian? He truly believes that if he blows his horn loud enough and repeats it enough times, sheeple will believe him.
DerBedrossian a Christian? Before or after he stole assets from the citizens of Haiastan? Manooshag
Ter-Petrosian is a Trojan Horse of the dark forces who wants to destroy Armenia and he is recieving a lots of green from his masters to do this job.
Obviously, he is ‘earning’ monies for somethings he does… is he allied with the Israelis via his Jewish wife? Manooshag
How much money this former president have? Did he make them from “Honest Living”??
Levon Ter-Petrosian is a leader of a long-bankrupt and corroding philosophy and cult of personality! He is certainly not one that has any moral standing to give anyone a lesson in piety, charity and humility. He has shown his true colors long ago and the last thing Armenia needs is so-called leaders like him.
How does he earn his ‘living’ now?? Who pays him so well to continue his misdirected ‘babblings’… OR, too, obviously his mentality to be a leader anywhere – is to be questioned… Manooshag
Levon Ter-Petrosyan is the one who threw Dashnaks out of the country when he got elected so that he can start scamming the people, eating the government funds and build his own wealth freely.
HE is looser and not a leader. He our our people to failure twice now and he should not get the third chance!
Raffi is the real deal!!!
hi իսկ լեվոնը այն գազանն է
որի կառավարության տարիներին
մեռան շատ շատ հայեր
թե ցրտից հիվանդանալով
կան ֆիզիկապես տանջանքի ենթարկվելուց
ՀԱՅԵՐ
c
հիշեք լեվոն գայլի արածները
իմ հայ ժողովուրդ
խեղդված ոչխարի նման
ԳԱՅԼԻ ետևից է գնում
մոռանալով որ այս կրակը իր ձեռքերը արդեն այրել է
ՏԵՐ , ՈՂՈՐՄՅԱ իմ հայ ժողովուրդը
սատկացրու այդ բոլոր ախորժակով ԳԱՅԼԵՐԻՆ
ազատիր քո հիմարացած ոչխարներին
դիտեք ու թարմացրեք ձեր կարճ հիշողությունը
Vano Siradekhyan – Levony kazmaqandel er petakan hamakargy
Levon Ter Petrossian should be put on trial for all the criminal acts he has committed through his corrupt cronies,not to mention the fact that he tried to give away Artsakh to the Azeris in order to please the West,our nation does not need such corrupt criminals.
He should go and live in Turkey.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan is a sold person. I do not think he is even pleasing the West. I think he is just doing his job. He was paid to weaken and, why not if possible to, destroy Armenia. And he is doing his job. The sad part is that 500.000 people are following him. That makes at least 20% of our population. How sad that 20% of our population is lost, suffers from amnesia and is not able to connect two dots. Sure enough his campaign gave money to many of those people to follow him but still hard to believe that after suffering from cold and hunger when he was in the office these very people can gather together and scream Levon. How pathetic. And no one asks where an ex-president can get that much money.
“20 tari levon eq asum, inqn arden antsel e patmutyan girkn vorpes levon lusamarich, hima jamanakn e nor kargin, xelqn glxin mardu arach qashel, vor vor k lini iskakan hayaser u hayrenaser
Levon is funded by Jews and the USA to take control of armenia from Russia! This is his plan! I lived in Armenia while Levon was the president and let me tell you one thing! He destroyed Armenia within couple years!!!! That’s why people overthrew him overnight!
Es marteh kehnt-eh – yev anonk vor eereen hednen – bagas en. Manooshag
What a perverted and twisted interpretation of our faith. He seems to have forgotten the “love thy neighbour as yourself” bit… Raffi is not fasting to show off his religious affiliation – he is fasting in protest…
levon your time has passed move aside let others lead
If this one eyed man who is a typical gangster whose time has long gone, claims he is a true christian, can he explain why he has married a jew?
He doesn’t have to explain why he is married to a Jew, if that is at all true. It has no bearing on the issue at hand. It is racially prejudiced to have an opinion on someone based on what religion, color or nationality his or her partner is. Look at the past two presidents, both married to an Armenian ”Christian” and both crooks. Can you explain that? Levon may also be a crook but at least he knows his history… Raffi is nevertheless the only option, and a great one at that, for Armenia.
Someone tell Levon… we are in the 21st century!
so 20 years ago it was ok !!!!
He is having a problem with short memory, but he can remember Hovhan Madakuni????
LTP is preaching Christianity? He is such a hypocrite. He’s married to a Jewish woman!
A discredited, former authoritarian who has proven to despise all democratic norms. Instigator of the nation-destroying concepts of “Armenia has a limited room for Armenians” and “our defensibility lies in our non-defensibilities” idiotic concept, meaning if we are weak others (???) will protect us.
This man has no business in leading a herd of sheep let alone crowds. But it says more about the people who follow this unsavoury man like sheep.
I am sure in armenia no one likes him.
Just couple of idiots go to his meetings.
And every time when there is 5000 people This looser Levon Ter-Petrosyan tells that there is 50000 people or if it is 10000 he says 100000.
Look who is standing behind him during protest! Demirjyan and all those former ministers. Who does not know 1+2=WHAT.
YOU KNOW WHAT IF HE WAS SMART POLITITION HE WOULD GOI AND SHAKE Raffi Hovanisyan’s HAND.
THank GoD he is not that smart..
Guys stop your stupid anti-Jewish rhetoric firstly (it is tainted with racism and ignorance) and secondly since when is there such a thing as Christian morals in our society? Look at our church for starters: morally bankrupt and viciously greedy! Perhaps no better than Levon.
Raffi must be supported all the way.
Levon Ter Petrossian,
As a result of how you truly feel deep inside for wrongfully not encouraging Raffi Hovhanessian’s hunger strike you now are trying to defend yourself by any means.
Levon Der Bedrossian is a traitor to the armenian nation. He and his friends( hell there Vano Siradeghyan) pludgeoned the armenian nation of all its wealth. He needs to be exposed once and for all. The authorities need to arrest him and make public all of his holdings worldwide and then hol him accountable in front of the law. Raffi Hovanessian needs to come back to the fold, where he belongs, within thew sphere of the ARF.
first of all i dont care for any religious extremism, keep it to yourself
secondly, a hunger strike has nothing to do with religion, ghandi did it.
thirdly, the jewish religion and culture is great, so an armo married a jew, get over it.
i know half italian-armenian, palestinian-armenians, who were raised armenian and are more patriots than a lot of armos i know.
f@#$ LTP!
A.R.F. come clean up our country now, take all those crooked cops and mafias out, beirut style
Raffi Hovhannisian is pursuing a political aim by non-violent means. It is his democratic right to do so. He is on a hunger strike (political statement), not fasting (religious or health related matter).
Mahatma Ghandi did the same thing. It was Ghandi’s very public hunger strike (NOT fasting) that put an end to the Moslem-Hindu intercommunity killings back in the early 1940 which was dividing the Indian independence movement.
LTP is certainly highly educated and knows his history. Therefore, it is shameful of him to obfuscate the matter by confusing the two concepts, as he is doing it deliberately.
He is also perhaps suggesting that Ghandi was wrong as well and what he did was very “unchristian”.
History will be the judge of who is right and who is wrong now. In the case of India, history has already pronounced itself in Ghandi’s favour.
Viken L. Attarian