Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed his intention to achieve the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated the continuation of the campaign aimed at removing Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II from the throne. The head of the government stressed that the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church (AAC) should return to a «pro-state and state-oriented direction,» which, in his opinion, is impossible without the departure of the current Catholicos. Pashinyan called the initiative a «spiritual and apolitical agenda» but linked it to state security issues, accusing the Church of centuries-old «imperial logic» that continues under the current Catholicos. This is reported by TASS.

Speaking at the seventh congress of the Civil Pact party, the Prime Minister said that the initiative to remove the head of the AAC is «a very delicate and non-alternative process that requires patience.» At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan used exclusively the lay name of the Catholicos — Ktrich Nerses. He reiterated that Karekin II «must leave voluntarily, without popular intervention, otherwise it will happen with popular intervention.»

This campaign is a continuation of the Prime Minister’s series of harsh statements against the AAC. Earlier, on May 29, Pashinyan criticized the Armenian Apostolic Church, saying that it had long ago turned into a «closet where all kinds of junk is stored.» The next day, May 30, the pages of Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan in social networks published derogatory statements against the representatives of the Church. In the following days, the Prime Minister’s attacks continued, including questions about the observance of the vow of celibacy by bishops, directly accusing Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II of violating it.

Nikol Pashinyan also insists that the authorities of the republic should have a «decisive voice» in the election of the head of the Armenian Church. However, this assertion raises questions because, according to the Armenian constitution, the state has no authority to interfere in church affairs. on June 10, the Prime Minister proposed to create a coordination group to remove Garegin II and elect a new Catholicos.

The Prime Minister’s actions and statements provoked sharp criticism from the opposition, which accused him of «undermining the unity of the Armenian people». Several public and political figures even advocated excommunication of the Prime Minister and his wife. The Armenian Apostolic Church itself called Pashinyan’s statements «a threat to the state».

Earlier we reported that Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II met with Pope Leo XIV and invited the Pontiff to visit Armenia. During the meeting, which was the first since the election of the new head of the Catholic Church on May 8 this year, the sides discussed ecclesiastical issues, including the fate of the Armenians of Artsakh, and reaffirmed the need for a just peace.