Head of the Armenian Church to Stand Trial Amid Conflict with Authorities — Reuters
The Catholicos of All Armenians, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is scheduled to appear in court on August 7 amid escalating tensions between the church and the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The trial is taking place amid growing tensions between the clergy and the country’s authorities. The two sides have recently had serious disagreements over a number of political and social issues.
Catholicos Garegin II (who has led the Church since 1999) and six other high-ranking officials are accused of failing to comply with a civil court ruling to temporarily reinstate a bishop whom the Church had defrocked.
If the clergymen are found guilty, they could face up to two years in prison.
Tensions Between the Church and the State
Armenia’s prime minister has repeatedly called for Garegin’s resignation and accused the Apostolic Church of acting as an intermediary for foreign powers, particularly Russia. The Church denies this.
Pashinyan was re-elected in June; he has received strong support from the European Union and has adopted a pro-Western course, seeking to distance the country from Russia’s sphere of influence.
Opposition politicians, church leaders, and civil society figures claim that the trial of the Catholicos is politically motivated and part of a broader crackdown on government critics.
There are also disputes between the church and the government over the conduct of peace negotiations with Azerbaijan following a series of wars that began in the 1980s.
The Clergy Against Pashinyan
The trial is linked to the case of Hevorg Saroyan—a bishop who was defrocked after the Church accused him of abuse of power and neglect of his duties. Saroyan publicly called for Haregin’s resignation and sided with Pashinyan.
Two years ago, another prominent clergyman—Bagrat Galstanyan, who is currently under house arrest awaiting trial—led street protests against Pashinyan over territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. The Catholicos himself reiterated calls for the prime minister’s resignation.
One archbishop was sentenced to two years in prison in October after calling for regime change in a media interview, while several other clergymen are awaiting trial on similar charges.
Background: The Armenian Apostolic Church is not part of either the Orthodox or Catholic churches. It has millions of followers in Armenia and around the world. Armenia is considered the world’s first Christian country—the religion was adopted there in 301 AD.
Source: Reuters.
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