"INEQUALITIES OF LIFE SHOULD NOT BE TRANSFERRED TO
CEMETERIES" SPIRITUAL FATHER SAYS
18-05-2007 19:00:00 | Armenia | Social
YEREVAN, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. "Only after adoption of the
RA Law on Standard Cemeteries it will be possible to end the
vicious practice of "transferring the inequalities of life to
cemeteries". Priest Hakob Khachatrian from Surb Sarkis Church of
the Ararat patriarchal diocese said this at the May 18 debate.
In his words, the culture of burial has been distorted in the
Armenian reality today. "It is directly related to the notion of
death and the other world, which those performing a burial
have," he noted. According to the priest, the Armenian Apostolic
Church is against cremation.
In the opinion of another participant of the debate -
ethnographer Karl Seghbosian, it is impossible to create
standard cemeteries because no one may forbid, for example, to
place a khachkar in a cemetery. "Some restrictions should just
be introduced, we need to combat bad practices, and the role of
the church is great in this issue," he said.
Speaking about conflicting opinions on cremation, K.
Seghbosian expressed confidence that cremation is necessary -
"of course, in accordance with the wish of relatives of the dead
person." Otherwise, according to him, the whole districts will
be turned into cemeteries.