Pashinyan threatens to use all means to force the Armenian Catholicos to step down

In an interview with reporters, Pashinyan said: “The state will use all its means to force Katrich Nersisyan (All Armenian Catholicos Garigin II) to step down <...>. And I, as Prime Minister, will use everything available to my authority for him to step down and leave his post.”

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Pashinyan confirms that the prosecution of clerics in Armenia is taking place within the framework of the law

Pashinyan reiterated his emphasis on the necessity of establishing a parliamentary investigation committee on the church issue.

According to him, on the basis of the results of the work of this committee, legislative initiatives should be taken and the "occupation" of the Church should be stopped.

Pashinyan claimed that the so-called crisis surrounding the Armenian Church was not created by the government and “exists regardless of its will.” As for the recent controversial report prepared by the Council of Ministers, it was drafted solely based on what was published in the media.

“Our legislation regulates relations between the state and the church,” the head of government said, expressing confidence that the spiritual parish (sons of the church) would depose Garegin II themselves.

Last September 24, the Armenian Prime Minister's Office published a 74-page report entitled "The Crisis of the Armenian Church" that includes a five-year plan aimed at reforming the church and removing Catholicos Garigin II.

The plan also includes the formation of a coordination group, followed by the dismissal of the Catholicos, the appointment of a temporary administrator, and the convening of a church council to approve reforms and elect a new Catholicos.

The actual dispute between Pashinyan and the Church began after Armenia's military defeat in 2020 and the fall of the Karabakh region in 2023, as the Church, led by Catholicos Garigin II, demanded Pashinyan's resignation, accusing him of neglecting historical lands.

Pashinyan claims that church leaders are interfering in politics in favor of the opposition, and the dispute has developed into the government’s attempt to directly interfere in church governance by preparing legislative plans and official reports aimed at excluding the Catholicos and changing the church charter.

The authorities escalated their procedures by filing criminal cases against Catholicos and several bishops, which the Church and human rights institutions describe as political targeting and a violation of the independence of the religious institution guaranteed by the constitution.