Civilnet
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin convened a meeting of Armenia-based bishops and diocesan primates on Wednesday to address escalating internal tensions, after several priests intentionally omitted the name of Catholicos Karekin II during recent liturgies, an act the Church has labelled a serious canonical violation.
Chaired by the Catholicos, the gathering examined what the statement called the “deliberate” removal of references to the Catholicos and local primates from the Divine Liturgy. The bishops condemned the practice as “anti-canonical” and warned it could lead to a schism if left uncorrected. Clergy who do not repent and restore proper liturgical order, they said, could face the Church’s harshest disciplinary measures.
The issue has gained prominence in recent weeks after at least two such incidents occurred during liturgies attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, first in the village of Khachik in Vayots Dzor and later in Masis. In both cases, priests skipped the mandatory mention of the Catholicos, prompting questions over whether the omissions were spontaneous or encouraged by senior clergy. According to reporting by RFE/RL, the incidents took place in the presence of diocesan leaders Bishop Abraham Mkrtchyan of Vayots Dzor and Bishop Gevorg Saroyan of Masis, deepening concerns about open defiance within the hierarchy.
The incidents have unfolded against the backdrop of broader strains inside the Church. In recent months, several clergy have publicly aligned themselves with government-critical calls to “liberate” Etchmiadzin from what they describe as entrenched leadership, while others accuse political actors of exploiting internal church debates for their own agendas.
The episcopal assembly’s statement avoided direct references to these disputes but emphasized the need for unity, urging all clergy to “refrain from divisive actions and provocations” and preserve the spirit of harmony “for the steadfastness and strengthening of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.”
Relations between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church have been strained for nearly four years. Clergy who criticized Pashinyan’s handling of the war and its aftermath came under increased scrutiny, while media aligned with the government accused the Church of interfering in politics. Tensions intensified further in recent months, with the arrest of Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, a major Church benefactor, and the detentions of Archbishops Bagrat Galstanyan and Mikayel Ajapahyan. The Catholicos’s brother and nephew have also been arrested, accused of interfering in this month’s municipal election in Vagharshapat.
Stories
