Armenian Patriarchate Rejects “Cows’ Garden” Lease Deal, Reaffirms Authority of Brotherhood of Sts. James

JERUSALEM — At the Fifteenth General Assembly of the Brotherhood of Sts. James, convened yesterday in the Assembly Hall of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, brothers and church leaders overwhelmingly reaffirmed their opposition to a controversial lease agreement concerning the “Cows’ Garden” (Armenian Garden) property.

The session, presided over by His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, brought together 28 Brotherhood members. The meeting commenced in prayer, and the Patriarchal leadership called on participants “to remain faithfully attached to the Holy See with unwavering love and fraternal solidarity, and to face all challenges together in unity.”

Reexamination of the Lease Dispute

A principal focus of the assembly was the 2021 lease agreement involving the property known as the “Cows’ Garden.” Bishop Koryun Baghdasaryan, Director of Real Estate, and the Patriarchate’s legal counsel presented a detailed historical account of the 2021 contract, the subsequent legal proceedings, and the settlement addendum negotiated via mediation.

During an evening session, the participants discussed new details on the legal process, the implications for the Armenian community, and the canonical authority structure. After extensive and in-depth deliberations, the General Assembly reached several key decisions by majority vote:

1. The declarations made by Brotherhood members on October 27, 2021, and November 15, 2021, condemning the transaction, stand as valid and binding.
2. The 2021 Lease Agreement for the “Cows’ Garden,” signed July 8, 2021, is deemed illegal, uncanonical, and null and void, as it was executed without the approval of the General Assembly.
3. The Assembly formally rejects both the Addendum and the Settlement Agreement produced via mediation.
4. A committee of five clergymen was appointed, working in concert with the Patriarchate’s legal counsel, to continue pursuing the annulment lawsuit filed against “Xana Gardens” Ltd.

The Assembly’s conclusions reaffirm the canonical and exclusive authority of the General Assembly of the Brotherhood over such transactions.

The press release was signed by Bishop Theodoros Zakaryan (Vice-Chairman of the General Assembly) and Father Serovbe Antonyan (Vice-Secretary).