The leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of violating the constitution and undermining religious freedom through what it described as an attempted “reform” of the Church.
In a statement released on Monday, the AAC said actions taken by the head of government under the pretext of regulating and reforming the internal life of the Church “directly violate the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and the rights of the Church, as enshrined both internationally and in Armenian law,” News.Az reports, citing Armenian media.
“The participation of bishops in such anti-church processes, and the pressure exerted on the clergy, deserve condemnation,” the statement said. “Matters concerning the life of the Church are discussed exclusively within the appropriate ecclesiastical bodies in accordance with canonical rules.”
The Church also criticized a group of 10 bishops who signed the controversial roadmap with Pashinyan, saying it was “puzzling” that they had not responded to invitations from the Mother See and continued to avoid meetings and discussions with the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Supreme Spiritual Council on issues of mutual concern.
The statement stressed that issues of church regulation and reform are not within the prerogative of a self-proclaimed council, but are under the authority of the Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and its highest structures.
“Such reckless steps could lead to a schism with painful consequences,” the Church warned.
The joint roadmap signed by Pashinyan and the 10 bishops sets out five points and seeks, according to critics, to remove the incumbent Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II, alter the Church’s constitution, and appoint a new Catholicos. The Catholicos of All Armenians is elected for life.
Under the Constitution, the Armenian Apostolic Church is separate from the state and has a special mission, the statement noted. However, it added that since May this year the authorities have pursued an active anti-church policy and sought the resignation of Catholicos Garegin II. Clergy members and lay supporters of the Church have suffered persecution as part of the campaign, the statement said, with four high-ranking clerics reportedly imprisoned on what the Church calls fabricated charges.
Tensions between Prime Minister Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church have grown in recent years, with Pashinyan accusing senior clergy of interfering in state affairs and Church leaders criticizing his attempts to centralize control. The dispute intensified after the 2020 Karabakh war.
The current reform effort represents Pashinyan’s most direct attempt to restructure the Church’s leadership, a move critics describe as highly controversial.