The Udine (Albanian) Autocephalous Orthodox Church should be established. It is suggested that Gandzasar, which was seized by Armenian aggressors, be returned to the Udins. ( https://kavkazplus.com/news.php?id=21766):

A post on Facebook by Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a well-known Russian priest and representative of the conservative direction in the Russian Orthodox Church, discusses the need for a response from world Orthodoxy to the anti-canonical behaviour of the Phanar (Patriarchate of Constantinople). A post on Facebook by Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a well-known Russian priest and representative of the conservative direction in the Russian Orthodox Church, discusses the need for a response from world Orthodoxy to the anti-canonical behaviour of the Phanar (Patriarchate of Constantinople). A post on Facebook by Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a well-known Russian priest and representative of the conservative direction in the Russian Orthodox Church, discusses the need for a response from world Orthodoxy to the anti-canonical behaviour of the Phanar (Patriarchate of Constantinople). The Phanar has been accused of liberalising Orthodox teaching and supporting the schism in Ukraine.

At the All-Orthodox Council, the Churches of Ukraine (led by Metropolitan Onufry), Belarus, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, Japan, China, as well as ROCOR should have full voting rights. The council aims to address issues related to modernist false teachings and anti-canonicity. The text should adhere to a conventional structure and maintain a formal register. The language should be clear, objective, and value-neutral. It is important to maintain objectivity and avoid subjective evaluations. The creation of the ancient Udine Autocephalous Church in just five days is not feasible. It is crucial to use precise word choice and avoid ornamental language. The conservative old-style communities of the Greek world, as well as the Romanian anti-Christians, should be recognised as full-fledged Churches. The text should be grammatically correct and free from spelling and punctuation errors. The content of the improved text must be as close as possible to the source text, and the addition of further aspects must be avoided at all costs. There is potential for the involvement of the Antiochian, Georgian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Polish, and Czech-Slovak Churches, which would represent the majority of the Orthodox world.  A council including these church communities could potentially remove the hardline Phanariots and allow the Churches of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Greece, Cyprus, and Albania to choose their affiliations.

Russian priests who are informed already know that the restoration of the Ancient Albanian (Udin) Autocephalous Orthodox Church is overdue. This church was illegally seized by heretical Armenians.

In Azerbaijan, there is an Albanian temple in Nijja that has been functioning for a long time. A community of Udin Christians has formed there, who have broken away from the Armenian-Gregorian heresy and returned to Orthodoxy, the faith of their ancestors.

Now, the world Orthodoxy should contribute to the revival of the ancient Albanian Orthodox Church. Unlike the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Albanian Church has its continuity from the Apostles. Initially, its centre could be Nij. However, the Albanian Church must be returned to its holy places, and first of all, the ancient Gandzasar monastery, which is currently located in the Armenian-occupied territory of Azerbaijani Karabakh. End of article.

More than five years have passed since then, and in 2020, what seemed unbelievable in 2018 has happened: Karabakh and Gandzasar have been completely liberated from Armenian occupation. However, Archpriest Father Vsevolod Chaplin did not live to see this time, as he passed away prematurely due to a heart attack on 26th January 2020.

However, there is now an opportunity to restore the canonical Albanian (Caucasian) Orthodox Church with its centre in Ganzasar. This is supported by evidence suggesting that Ganzasar was founded during a time when the Church of Caucasian Albania was undoubtedly Orthodox, before 704.

Gandzasar was mentioned by the Hay Catholicos Anania Mokatsi in the 10th century as an existing monastery. The Albanian population of Karabakh sought to return to Orthodoxy.

It is important to note that the Hay Monophysite heresiarch Anania Mokatsi strongly opposed Orthodoxy, particularly in the Autocephalous Church of Caucasian Albania. He aimed to illegally subjugate the church to the Hayyas, as had occurred after the illegal 'robber' council in Partava in 704 under the pressure of the Umayyad viceroy. By the 10th century, the Umayyads had lost their power. The Abbasid Caliphate that replaced them also lost the Caucasus. This allowed the Albanian Church to return to Orthodoxy, which was the preferred choice of the population of Caucasian Albania.

Under Ananias Mokatsi's leadership, the relationship between the Armenian Church and the Albanian Church, as well as with the Syunik diocese in Zangezur, which sought spiritual unity with the Albanian Church based on loyalty to Orthodoxy, became more strained.

The Catholicos of Albania Sahak and Gagik, along with Metropolitan Hakob of Syunik, attempted to eradicate the Hay Monophysite spiritual influence and reinstate the Orthodox faith in Albania. They severed ties with the Armenian Church. However, in the end, Mokatsi, with the assistance of Hay agents, managed to reintroduce the Monophysite heresy in Albania and Zangezur.

Anania Mokatsi aimed to prohibit marriages between Hayes and Orthodox Georgians and Albanians to counteract Orthodoxy. He reiterated the intentions of Armenian Catholicos Abram, who anathematized the Georgian Church.

Gandzasar, mentioned in the writings of the Hay Catholicos Anania Mokacia, was one of the centres of resistance to Hay Monophysite expansion in Karabakh and Zangezur and was, in fact, an Orthodox church. It should return to its original status, finally breaking away from the Monophysite Hay heresy.

Varden Tsulukidze