Armenian Prime Minister confirms involvement of special services in pressure on AAC clergy

The conflict between the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church reached a new peak after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly admitted that the National Security Service (NSS) interferes with church services. He justified these actions on state security grounds, calling the head of the church, Catholicos Karekin II, a threat to the country.

According to Radio Azatutyun, in recent weeks Prime Minister Pashinyan has attended several church services during which the priests, in violation of centuries-old canon, did not mention the name of the Catholicos in their prayers. This led to the fact that two of these clergymen had already been deprived of their spiritual dignity by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The situation escalated when Ruben Manukyan, a priest from Gyumri, said that the NSS officers “asked” him not to mention the name of Garegin II during the upcoming liturgy, which Pashinyan planned to attend. The priest refused to comply with this request, which triggered a wave of criticism against the government from the opposition, which accused the NSS of exceeding its authority.

Commenting on the situation, Nikol Pashinyan confirmed the participation of the security services. “When I intend to take part [in the liturgy], we ask to take into account the fact that we consider Ktrich Nersisian (secular name Garegin) not the Catholicos,” he said. The prime minister added that the moment he enters the church, the place falls under state protection, which gives the NSS the right to carry out “security measures,” including analyzing the views of parishioners. When asked about the exact danger posed by mentioning the Catholicos’ name, Pashinyan bluntly stated that Garegin II is “a threat to Armenia’s state security.”

Recall, earlier it was reported that amid the escalating internal conflict and confrontation with the Armenian authorities, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II announced the convening of the Council of Bishops. The emergency meeting of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) top clergy will be held in Echmiadzin from December 10-12 to discuss the current crisis, which, according to a number of hierarchs, has no analogues in modern history.