{"id":5871,"date":"2025-06-10T14:22:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T11:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/?p=5871"},"modified":"2025-06-10T14:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T11:22:29","slug":"pashinjan-stal-razrushat-odnu-iz-glavnyh-istoricheskih-skrep-armenii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/2025\/06\/10\/pashinjan-stal-razrushat-odnu-iz-glavnyh-istoricheskih-skrep-armenii\/","title":{"rendered":"Pashinyan Targets One of the Foundational Pillars of Armenian History"},"content":{"rendered":"

10.06.2025, Vzglyad Business Newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n

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\nArmenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called for the replacement of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. According to him, Catholicos Karekin II has fathered a child, despite his vow of celibacy.
\nPashinyan emphasized that, under the codex of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II was not eligible to be elected as bishop, archbishop, or Catholicos. He stressed the need to choose a new religious leader whose conduct would be thoroughly scrutinized before the election. The prime minister called for \u201cunity with love, in a Christian spirit, around the agenda of liberating the Mother See and electing a truly holy leader as the Catholicos of All Armenians.\u201d
\nThe following day, Pashinyan announced the creation of a coordinating group tasked with organizing the re-election of the Armenian Apostolic Church\u2019s leader. He outlined his \u201ccriteria\u201d for selecting members of this group: candidates must have read the Bible at least once, pray daily, have fasted during Great Lent \u201cat least once in the past five years,\u201d and believe in Jesus Christ. The prime minister added that he would personally choose ten members and that applications should be submitted via his email.
\nThis bizarre method of collecting applications by email is explained by one simple fact: the prime minister has no legitimate authority to influence the internal affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Thus, a performance of so-called public support will be staged, possibly followed by the artificial creation of a \u201cgrassroots movement\u201d demanding the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II.
\nPashinyan\u2019s announcement is both scandalous and unprecedented. It marks the first time in modern Armenian history that the head of a secular government has openly demanded the resignation of the Church\u2019s supreme leader. Even in neighboring Georgia, where tensions once ran high between President Saakashvili and Patriarch Ilia II, such direct public insults - let alone calls for resignation - were never voiced.
\nIt is difficult to even imagine the technical execution of such a move, as it not only violates the fundamental principle of separation between church and state, but also undermines the very foundations of the Armenian Apostolic Church.<\/strong>
\nThe fact is, Armenia is one of the few countries in Europe where the Christian Church plays a role far beyond that of a religious institution. The status of the Armenian Apostolic Church within Armenian society is comparable to that of the Greek Orthodox Church in Greece (which is not separated from the state) or the Serbian Orthodox Church in Serbia. These are not merely religious structures or centers of spiritual guidance; they are powerful moral and cultural institutions, deeply embedded in national identity, and significant political forces capable of influencing public life and national direction.
\nIn this context, it is not entirely unfounded that Pashinyan once referred to the Armenian Church as \u201can agent of influence.\u201d Indeed, the Church holds significant sway in Armenia.
\nThis influence is rooted in history and shaped by the tragic fates of the Armenians, Greeks, and Serbs - nations for whom Christianity and the Church became the cornerstone of survival and the preservation of national identity. In this regard, the Armenian Apostolic Church is inseparable from the Armenian people and their collective self-awareness, which in turn affects the balance of power in the country. It is important to note, however, that despite its prominent role in society, Etchmiadzin - the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church - has never abused its influence over the Armenian public.
\nPashinyan\u2019s efforts to radically reshape Armenia and redefine the Armenian identity - through constitutional changes, altering national symbols, severing ties with Russia, and abandoning traditional foreign policy approaches - are in full swing. Yet, despite widespread public discontent with Prime Minister Pashinyan, there is no organized political force capable of effectively challenging his agenda. The National Conservative Alliance \u201cI Have Honor,\u201d which is affiliated with former Prime Minister and President Serzh Sargsyan, has failed to assume the role of a true opposition force.
\nIn this context, until recently, the Armenian Apostolic Church remained the only force capable of uniting the Armenian people around conservative values. While Catholicos Karekin II has never directly opposed Pashinyan, he has preferred to speak in indirect, spiritual terms, as is fitting for a religious leader.<\/strong>
\nIn response, Nikol Pashinyan and his wife, Anna Hakobyan, launched a wave of coarse and insulting rhetoric against the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Catholicos, and several bishops -often in their absence and primarily via social media. For example, on May 29, during a government session, Pashinyan claimed that Armenian churches looked like \u201cclosets filled with junk.\u201d The following day, he posted a statement on social media laced with offensive language targeting AAC clergy, going so far as to accuse an archbishop of sexual misconduct. The prime minister demanded that all clergymen who had violated their vow of celibacy be officially defrocked.
\nThe prime minister\u2019s wife, Anna Hakobyan, echoed the verbal assaults, referring to the Catholicos as \u201cthe key mafioso\u201d and labeling those who criticized Pashinyan\u2019s \u201cclosets\u201d comment as \u201cthe country\u2019s top pedophiles.\u201d
\nAmid the escalating scandal, the prime minister proposed changing the procedure for electing the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, granting the state a decisive vote and subjecting candidates to an \u201cethical screening.\u201d This proposal is fundamentally incompatible with the principle of separation between church and state. Given Armenia\u2019s unique historical context and deeply rooted religious identity, it is inconceivable for the country to adopt a Scandinavian-style model, where Protestant pastors function as de facto civil servants and are paid from the state budget.
\nLast year, the opposition was prepared to nominate Tavush Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan for the post of prime minister. This was prompted by mass protests that erupted following the launch of the border delimitation process with Azerbaijan, particularly along the tense northern section in Tavush. Archbishop Galstanyan spearheaded the \u201cTavush for the Motherland\u201d movement, which not only mobilized widespread demonstrations along the border but also led a march to Yerevan, though it ultimately produced no tangible results.
\nIn response, Pashinyan\u2019s government launched an unprecedented smear campaign against the Archbishop of Tavush. It was likely during this period that Pashinyan resolved to go beyond discrediting individuals and move toward \u201creforming Armenia\u201d by reducing the Armenian Apostolic Church to the status of a government department.<\/strong>
\nAt the same time, it is impossible to overlook the prominence Pashinyan assigns to alternative religious denominations in Armenia, most notably, the Armenian Catholic Church, utilizing the Armenian Rite, and various Protestant unions. Notably, Pashinyan\u2019s verbal attacks on the Catholicos coincided with the international conference titled \u201cReligious Freedom: Preserving the Armenian Spiritual, Cultural, and Historical Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh,\u201d held in Switzerland. The event concluded with a final statement calling for coordinated international efforts to safeguard Armenia\u2019s religious and cultural heritage, protect the rights of its people, and ensure the security of the Armenian nation.
\nA key nuance is that the conference in Switzerland was co-organized with the Swiss Protestant Church in Bern. Pashinyan clearly counted on support from Protestant churches in Armenia to bolster his campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church. That backing, however, never materialized.
\nNikol Pashinyan is relying on a classic tactic of blackmail. For months, he and his wife have been threatening Catholicos Karekin II with \u201cexposure,\u201d yet no one has seen the alleged \u201cchild.\u201d Still, the threats persist.<\/strong>
\n\u201cKarekin II violated his vow of celibacy and has a child. That is a fact. If Karekin II attempts to deny it, I will present the necessary proof,\u201d Pashinyan declared. \u201cUnder the Canon Law of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II was not eligible to become bishop, archbishop, or Catholicos. Ktrich Nersisyan [the secular name of the Catholicos \u2013 Vzglyad] must step down.\u201d\nBut what exactly does \u201cnecessary proof\u201d mean in this context? Are we talking about a DNA test? Photographs from a private investigator? Secret surveillance? The entire situation has taken an undeniably ugly turn.
\nIn response, the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church convened in Etchmiadzin, denouncing Pashinyan\u2019s remarks as part of a \u201cshameful anti-Church campaign.\u201d The Council warned that the prime minister\u2019s anti-Church rhetoric and the broader assault on national values would have destructive consequences.
\nIt is now clear that the campaign against the Catholicos and the Armenian Apostolic Church has become another front in Pashinyan\u2019s broader struggle to consolidate power and radically reshape Armenia. What began as blackmail and threats has escalated into a full-blown political and spiritual confrontation.\nAt this stage, it is too late for Pashinyan to quietly walk back his and his wife\u2019s statements against Catholicos Karekin II and the Church. And it is equally unlikely that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin will retreat without resistance.
\nKarekin II is the first Catholicos of All Armenians since Nerses V (who served in the first half of the 19th century) to be born in the territory of present-day Armenia. Prior to him, Catholicoi hailed from regions such as Inner Russia (Nakhichevan-on-Don near Rostov), Tiflis, Romania, and Syria. This gives Karekin II a natural connection to the Armenian people, garnering him broad support both within Armenia and across the Diaspora. Moreover, at 73 years old (born in 1951), he is not yet of an age to be easily pressured or intimidated by the secular authorities.
\nPashinyan is setting a dangerous precedent - not only by interfering in the internal affairs of the Church, but by attempting to bring it under the control of a secular government in a country where the Church is far more than just a religious institution. The potential consequences of this move could prove far more serious for Armenia than the proposed changes to the Constitution or even the state emblem.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pashinyan is setting a dangerous precedent - not only by interfering in the internal affairs of the Church, but by attempting to bring it under the control of a secular government in a country where the Church is far more than just a religious institution. The potential consequences of this move could prove far more serious for Armenia than the proposed changes to the Constitution or even the state emblem.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,157],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materialy-tribunala","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5871"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5873,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5871\/revisions\/5873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}