Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the launch of a reform process within the Armenian Apostolic Church following the adoption of a joint statement with ten bishops and archbishops who have called for the resignation of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.

According to the statement, which outlines a detailed roadmap, the parties intend to implement a step-by-step reform program for the Armenian Apostolic Church. The document was adopted at the Prime Minister’s residence.

The roadmap envisages several stages. The first step involves a public announcement of the reform agenda, followed by the removal of the current Catholicos. This would be followed by the election of a Catholicosate locum tenens. The process would then move toward the adoption of a new charter for the Armenian Apostolic Church, aimed at establishing mechanisms to ensure adherence to core principles, financial transparency, and proper conduct of the clergy.

The final stage envisages the election of a new Catholicos of All Armenians in accordance with established procedures.

In their statement, Pashinyan and the supporting bishops and archbishops called on clergy members and followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church to support and join the reform initiative. They also announced the formation of a coordinating council to oversee the organizational aspects of the implementation process.

As part of the upcoming steps linked to the reform agenda, the Prime Minister highlighted forthcoming religious services, including a candlelight service at Saint Sarkis Church in Yerevan on January 5 and the Armenian Christmas service at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral on January 6.

The announcement drew sharp criticism from opposition figures. Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsyan, a former director of the National Security Service, accused Pashinyan of attempting to destabilize the Armenian Apostolic Church. Vanetsyan called on Catholicos Garegin II to dismiss clergy he described as traitors and urged law enforcement agencies to investigate the reform initiative.

Reacting to the joint statement, Vanetsyan said the move amounted to an attempt to undermine the constitutional order. He argued that after failing to remove the Catholicos through rapid means, the Prime Minister was now resorting to what he described as “old tactics,” including the formation of “illegitimate commissions and coordinating councils,” warning that such actions could lead to a split within the Church. Vanetsyan added that, as the de facto head of government and a central figure in the proposed coordinating council, Nikol Pashinyan would bear direct responsibility for any consequences arising from the reform process.

Mother See Rejects Pashinyan-Led Church Reform Initiative

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin issued a sharp response to the statement signed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and ten bishops calling for reforms in the Armenian Apostolic Church, warning that the initiative violates constitutional and canonical principles and risks causing a schism.

In a statement released on January 5, the Mother See said the actions undertaken by the Prime Minister, under the pretext of reforming the Church and aligning its internal life with canonical norms, constitute an infringement of the Armenian Constitution and violate the rights of the Church as protected by international law and Armenia’s legislation.

The Mother See strongly condemned the involvement of bishops in what it described as anti-Church processes, as well as any pressure exerted on clergy. It stressed that issues related to the Church’s internal life must be addressed exclusively within appropriate ecclesiastical bodies and in accordance with canonical regulations.

The statement also expressed concern that the ten bishops who signed the document have not responded to repeated appeals and invitations from the Mother See and continue to avoid dialogue with the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Supreme Spiritual Council on the issues they have raised.

Emphasizing matters of authority, the Mother See underlined that questions of canonical order and Church reform fall solely within the competence of the hierarchy and highest governing structures of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, not any self-proclaimed council.

Warning of broader consequences, the statement cautioned that such actions could lead to a schism with serious and far-reaching repercussions.