The Role of church in the emergence of Armenian question

KEY WORDS: Armenian Church, İstanbul Armenian Patriarch, İstanbul Armenian Patriarch Mıgırdıch Khrimian, İstanbul Armenian Patriarch Nerses Varjabedian, İstanbul Armenian Patriarch Mateos Izmirlian. The Armenian Church, in addition to her religious duty and responsibilities, assumed herself as the national and political authority for the Armenian Nation. Within the process lasted from the beginning to the present day, the Church of Armenia and her clergy became the gretatest power, which leads and forms to the lives of the Armenian society. The Armenians, too, do not sperate their destiny from that of the Church and they admit her as a solidarity base under the suzeranity of the other states for their standing. The Armenian Church had not lost her position under the Ottoman domination. On the contarary, by the conquest of Istanbul, she gained much more importance. The Ottomans grant to every community an opportunity of creating a new order according to their customs and traditions. The communities became free in their every religious and internal affairs. Within the Ottoman Empire, the non-Muslims were such autonomised that never seen in the world at that time in their religion, law, education, culture, and administration affairs. Besides, their languages, churches, school, courts, and hospitals were not intefered by the Ottoman officals. That case is even accepted by many scholars known by prejudied attitudes and writings. However, up to the XIXth century, this social reality found acceptance within its frame was metamorphosed by the reasons derived from internel and external means, chiefly the effects of the French Revolution and allegation of European Powers protectorship upon the Non-Muslim Ottoman citizins. The Gregorian Armenian Church deceived with a promise containing independent or at least autonomous Armenia by the Imperialist Powers was then an insturment to the games played onto the Ottoman State and their society with ease. The Armenian Church and clergy wanted to actualize the idea of Independent Armenia; at first they started to work on ideological activities. Between the Treaty of San Stefano signed in March 3rd, 1878 and the Congress of Berlin held in June 13th, 1878, they completed the second phase of their plans containing diplomatic enterprises. Not having found what they expected from the Congress of Berlin and seeing the only way to out in rebellion and revolution for "the idea of Independent Armenia", the Armenians, even they were led by the Armenian Church and the Patriarch, started to progress in this path rapidly and they passed to the last phase which is rebellion. The Patriarch Nerses Varjabedian, the ex-Patriarch Mıgırdıch Khrimian, and Mateos izmirlian occupied the head of the Armenian Church that desired to come out the rebellion, to shed blood, to facilitate the interference of the great powers by this way. Thus, the churches, especially the patriarchs and priests, having left the essence of the Christianity away, they choose to spread the propaganda and seditious acts among the people as a main duty. The activities of the Armenian Church and the Clergy gained speed as parallel to the beat of chaos that occurred in Anatolia.