BEFORE the celebration of Christmas in Armenia, on 6 January, the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, announced a road map of reforms for the Armenian Apostolic Church, creating a separate “Co-ordination Council” to oversee their implementation.
The reforms, supported by ten Bishops of the Armenian Church, propose the removal of the current supreme head, the Catholicos, Karekin II, to be followed by new elections and the adoption of a new church charter.
Mr Pashinyan has been involved in a prolonged dispute with the Catholicos, accusing him of misleading the Church and breaking his vow of celibacy. He called for the replacement of the Catholicos last July, urging believers to rally against Karekin and saying that he himself would lead the movement to “liberate” the Church (News, 1 August 2025).
Since then, the conflict has deepened, resulting in several arrests of Armenian clergy, and a series of accusations.
The Armenian Church keeps both the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ on 6 January. Mr Pashinyan urged the faithful to support his plans by taking part in a march on that date in Yerevan.
Mr Pashinyan began the march after attending a liturgy at St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, and then going to the Holy Mother of God Katoghike Church.
The Patriarchal Divine Liturgy was held at the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Reports in Armenia suggest that the march attracted a few hundred participants, including leading politicians. Mr Pashinyan and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin — the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church — accused each other of inciting schism.
“Today, essentially, we must acknowledge that the Church’s de facto leader and his elite, the narrow circle he has formed, are within a sectarian logic, in a schism. This means that we must free our Church . . . from the schism; we must return the Church to the people,” Mr Pashinyan said, the online news platform OC Media reported.
Reacting to the church reform plan, the Armenian Apostolic Church issued a strong condemnation, saying that the state-led initiative violated the Armenian constitution and infringed “the rights of the Church enshrined both in international law and in the legislation of Armenia”.
“It must be emphasised that matters of canonical order and church reforms do not fall within the purview of any self-proclaimed council, but rather pertain to the competence of the hierarchy of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and its highest structures,” the statement from the Mother See said.
The clash between Church and State has gained in intensity. Speaking at a press conference on 8 January, Mr Pashinyan responded to reports that the Catholicos, Karekin II, would not back down.
“You say that Ktrich Nersisyan [the secular name of Karekin II] has no intention of leaving. We are going to make it so that he changes his intention,” Mr Pashinyan said, the news agency News.am reported.
Azerbaijan releases prisoners. The World Council of Churches (WCC) has welcomed the release of four Armenian prisoners — Gevorg Sujyan, Davit Davtyan, Vigen Euljekjian, and Vagif Khachatryan — held by Azerbaijan. “Their release brings relief and hope to their families after years of suffering and uncertainty,” the general secretary, the Revd Professor Jerry Pillay, said. “We give thanks for the release of these four individuals and rejoice with their families . . . At the same time, true and lasting peace cannot be achieved while others remain in captivity. The [WCC] remains deeply concerned that 20 other Armenians are still held in Azerbaijani detention.”