Years ago a friend of mine made an interesting observation: "For priests, Meghri is exile." He was right. In the last ten years, several clergymen have come to Meghri believing and leading others to believe that they would engender spiritual activity and reawaken the faith that had weakened under communist rule. But the clergymen never stayed long, and as a result, Meghri was without a priest for almost two years.

Father Galust Darbinyan, a native of Lebanon, came to Meghri last September. Before that he had served in Egypt, Bulgaria, the USA, Canada, and India.

"I have traveled in 72 countries. I visited Armenia on many occasions during the communist years. The last time I came here was in May 2004. I was given a choice of going to Gyumri, Vanadzor, or Meghri. I chose Meghri," the 66-year-old priest says. It is his impression that Meghri residents are kind and humble but, at the same time, stubborn and unbelieving.

"I don't believe that communism is the only reason for it. At one time there were seven functioning churches in this small region. Meghretsis are very stubborn, and they are ashamed to go to a priest," Father Galust observes.

Religious sects (Jehovah's Witnesses and others) are especially widespread in the former Azerbaijani villages of Alvank, Nyuvadi, and Lehvaz, where according to Father Galust there are children who have never seen a priest in their lives. "We have not achieved freethinking in religion. We should not offend a person's religious sensibility; we should approach him little by little and explain. Religion is for the person, not vice versa. The reverence of the past also creates problems for the Armenian people. There is an impression that whatever happened in the past is commendable. But it is illiteracy to live in the past all the time. The century has changed, we too must change."

Father Galust complains of a lack of support from both the Armenian Apostolic Church and local officials in Meghri.

"A clergyman must be financially secure to be able to fulfill spiritual duties in full," he says. But he lives in extremely modest conditions, and doesn't have a car to visit the neighboring villages and minister to the people there. What limited resources he does have he spends on spiritual literature which he distributes among the people.