Armenian PM calls for "Christmas procession" in support of AAC reforms

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made an appeal to citizens to take part in the procession to be held on January 6, the day of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s celebration of the Holy Nativity. The procession, according to the Prime Minister, is called not only to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and reaffirm loyalty to the sacred traditions of the AAC, but also to express support for the process of its reforms, the roadmap of which was presented earlier.

As ArmeniaToday.am reports, Nikol Pashinyan specified in his video message that the procession will start at 13:30 at the entrance of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan. Next, the participants will go to the Church of Holy Virgin Katoghike, and the procession will end with a short rally at the intersection of Sayat-Nova and Abovyan streets. The Prime Minister also drew attention to the weather conditions, urging everyone to dress warmly, taking into account the possible cold.

The Armenian Prime Minister emphasized three key meanings of the upcoming event. “The first meaning of the procession is to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ. The second meaning is to record our loyalty to the sacred tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The third is to express support for its reform,” he emphasized. Earlier, from 10:30, the Prime Minister plans to participate in the Christmas liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator.

The call to participate in the procession comes against the backdrop of Nikol Pashinyan’s recent initiatives regarding the Armenian Apostolic Church. On the night of January 5, he announced the creation of a coordinating council for reforming the AAC. The statement, signed by the Prime Minister and ten clergymen, presented a five-point roadmap. Among them are the removal of the de facto head of the AAC, the election of an abbot of the Catholicos and a new Catholicos of All Armenians.

The move is a continuation of previously announced plans. Thus, earlier in December Nikol Pashinyan had already presented a “roadmap for the renewal” of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which emphasizes his consistent position on the issue of church reforms.

We would like to remind that earlier we reported that Nikol Pashinyan considers it acceptable for parishioners to protest when mentioning the name of the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II (in the world Ktrich Nersisyan) during services in Armenian churches. This statement by the Prime Minister, made against the backdrop of prolonged tension and mutual accusations between the secular authorities and the Armenian Apostolic Church, signals a deepening of the conflict.