Holy Etchmiadzin Denounces ‘Fabricated’ Accusations and Political Interference Amidst Growing Church Crisis

OCP News Service & Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin– 29/11/2025

Yerevan-Armenia: The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin released two extraordinary statements today, addressing a rapidly escalating internal crisis characterized by clerical dissent, procedural disputes, and alleged interference from secular authorities.

The day began with a planned meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council presided over by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, which failed to convene a legitimate session due to the absence of five key members, including Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan and Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan.

Catholicos Defends Procedures, Refutes Dissenting Bishops

The most immediate action by the present assembly members was a direct refutation of a statement published on November 27, which had been signed by nine bishops. The assembly argued that the statement, which reportedly targeted the Catholicos, “completely distorts” the facts regarding the internal investigation into Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.

The assembly detailed significant procedural flaws in the investigation into a video attributed to Archbishop Khachatryan. They noted that the investigative committee never convened a proper session and failed to allow the Archbishop to meet with it. Furthermore, the committee’s conclusion submitted to the Catholicos was not drawn up according to due procedure.

Crucially, the statement asserted that a key piece of evidence—an expert examination of the video—was “obtained in clear violation of the law” by an individual committee member and could not be considered a reliable basis for judgment. The assembly revealed that the committee chairman, Archbishop Khajak Parsamyan, had already proposed forming a new, smaller committee to conduct a fair examination on November 24, a proposal consented to by the current committee members on November 25.

Based on these findings, the assembly declared that the accusations made in the dissenting bishops’ statement against the Catholicos of All Armenians are “completely unfounded and fabricated,” branding the targeting of His Holiness as “unacceptable.”

State Forces Enter Mother See Grounds Amid Escalation and Arrests

The crisis escalated dramatically on November 28 with reports of Black Beret special police units entering the grounds of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin while the remaining assembly members were in session.

According to the Church’s assessment, the timing of the intrusion was calculated, coming immediately after Prime Minister Pashinyan allegedly met with eight clergymen who have broken from the Church and aligned themselves with efforts to weaken its leadership.

The intrusion is the latest in a series of coercive state actions. The report notes that more than two dozen individuals, including businessman Samvel Karapetyan and several senior clergy, are currently jailed in what are widely viewed as politically motivated prosecutions intended to intimidate Church-backed opposition. This is not the first instance of state forces entering the sacred grounds; the National Security Service (NSS) previously stormed the area in June while attempting to detain Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan.

At the core of the conflict is the Armenian Apostolic Church’s consistent and outspoken criticism of Pashinyan’s governance. In response, the Prime Minister has reportedly demanded the Catholicos’s resignation, attempting to discredit the Church’s moral authority through unverified allegations. Concurrently, Pashinyan has been working to elevate breakaway clergy, including his recent attendance at a liturgy conducted by a defrocked priest, widely interpreted as a political gesture to empower loyalists. The combination of police activity on sacred grounds, politically charged arrests, and public attacks points to a coordinated campaign to undermine the independence of the Armenian Church.

Patriarchs Condemn Political Machinations

In a separate, profoundly spiritual address issued the same day, the Order of the Patriarchs of the Mother See reaffirmed their loyalty to Catholicos Karekin II and the Apostolic Church’s canonical structure.

Citing 1 Corinthians 1:10, the statement made an explicit and severe condemnation of external forces, calling intolerable “the interference and threats of secular authorities in the internal governance of the church.”

The Patriarchs further found fault with “the obvious attempts to target high-ranking clergy and priests through government machinations and to divide the unity of the church in order to serve the agenda of dethroning the Catholicos of All Armenians.”

The statement firmly asserts that all doctrinal, ritual, and disciplinary issues must be resolved “exclusively by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, through the canonical procedures of the Armenian Church,” without yielding to political pressure or usurping the rights of authorized church bodies.

Both groups concluded by issuing a joint call for the clergy to reject divisive rhetoric and actions and return immediately to the canonical field for the sake of the Church’s stability and unity.

Source:

OCP News Service