Armenian Apostolic Church clergymen banned from pastoral activities in Armenian prisons

A scandal is developing in Armenia over the authorities’ decision to restrict the access of Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) clergymen to correctional institutions. According to the official statement of the AAC Press Chancellery, the actions of the Ministry of Justice are considered as a gross interference in the internal life of the Church and an attempt to disorganize its pastoral ministry.

According to TASS, the head of the penitentiary service of the Armenian Ministry of Justice made a decision that effectively suspends the spiritual ministry in detention centers. The Church stresses that this decision is illegal: the authorities started to conclude labor contracts with individual clergymen bypassing Echmiadzin, ignoring the established legal norms and hierarchical order.

AAC representatives claim that this step is part of a «purposeful anti-church campaign» on the part of the ruling political force. The official appeal notes that similar restrictions have already been introduced earlier in the country’s Armed Forces, as well as in the educational sphere, where a subject on the history of the Armenian Church was excluded from the curriculum. In the opinion of the clergy, anti-Church activism has turned into a state policy aimed at limiting the role of the Church in public life.

The Armenian Church concluded its statement by calling on the Armenian Ministry of Justice to respect the law and restore the normal course of spiritual care in penitentiary institutions without hindering the realization of the pastoral mission guaranteed by the legislation of the Republic.