THE Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has publicised a plan to remove the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, and has called for citizens to rally against him at the seat of the Armenian Church, the Etchmiadzin.
Although the dates for any gathering are unknown, the Prime Minister’s intentions include adopting a new constitution for the Armenian Church, appointing a locum tenens (temporary head of the Church), and calling for elections for a new Patriarch.
“Prepare for the Great Spiritual Gathering at the central square of Etchmiadzin,” the Prime Minister posted on his social media at the beginning of last week.
The Prime Minister announced that he would personally lead the movement to “liberate” the Armenian Church; he said that the “house of Jesus Christ is being occupied by an AntiChrist, anti-national, anti-government group”.
Mr Pashinyan has been leading a campaign against Karekin II, accusing him of dishonouring his vows of celibacy and alleging that he has fathered a child.
As part of the plan to “liberate” the church, the Prime Minister has also called for an assessment of the moral character of candidates for the Patriarchal throne.
Calling on people not to “give in to the provocations of the authorities”, the Armenian Apostolic Church considers the “liberation plan” and the PM’s proposed rally to be a “flagrant interference” and “an assault” on the Mother See.
“We call on the ruling political force to halt its anti-Church and unlawful campaign and to direct its efforts toward addressing the grave challenges confronting our country. At the same time, we appeal to the competent state authorities and officials to take all necessary and lawful measures to prevent this unlawful action,” the Church said.
The state-backed plan to change the leadership of the Church follows the recent arrests of senior Armenian clergy on terrorism charges, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the Primate (Arachnort) of the diocese of Tavush, and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, Primate (Arachnort) of the diocese of Shirak.
At the annual clergy Assembly of the Armenian Church, held on 11 July, the Catholicos spoke about the “systemic” campaign and described the government’s actions as “isolated measures against individual clergy”.
The Church’s Assembly said that “the incitement of enmity and hate speech, the spread of discriminatory propaganda, and calls for various forms of violence are dangerous and destructive; they can never bring good to our nation or homeland.”
The rift between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the government leadership continues to concern international observers. The World Council of Churches and other advocates for religious freedom have urged restraint.
Christian Solidarity International issued a statement urging the Armenian government to end its persecution. The statement, which was also signed by Coptic Solidarity and SOS Chrétiens d’Orient NGOs, called for the immediate release of the senior clergy and church supporters held in captivity.
It also called for an end to state interference in church affairs, particularly for this plan to remove Catholicos Karekin II, which it said would “contravene Article 17 of Armenia’s constitution, which guarantees the separation of church and state”.