AGBU says ‘hour not too late for reconciliation’ between government, Church

By Alexander Pracht

The Armenian General Benevolent Union published a statement on Sunday urging both the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church to respect one another’s independence, addressing a years-long conflict between the two sides that has escalated into a major political standoff since April.

In a carefully balanced statement that avoided siding with either party, AGBU called on the government and the Church to pursue reconciliation.

“We recognize that things have been said and actions have been taken — directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally — that have not reflected well on both the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian government,” the organization said.

AGBU argued that easing tensions would benefit both the authorities in Yerevan and Armenians worldwide, noting that the Church has historically served as a unifying institution for Armenians regardless of citizenship or place of residence. It stressed the importance of clearly defined boundaries between state and church governance.

“We ask that the lines be clear: that the Republic of Armenia moves forward with its own self-governance in accordance with its constitution and the will of the voting citizenry, and that the Armenian Apostolic Church moves forward with its own governance processes responsible for any future reforms and self-assessment,” the statement said. Such restraint, AGBU added, would strengthen Armenia’s international standing by demonstrating respect for the Church’s independence.

Addressing mutual accusations, AGBU said it had already discouraged senior Armenian clergy worldwide from meddling in secular political activity, urging them to abandon further clerical involvement in politics. At the same time, it called on the Armenian government to respect the Church’s autonomy.

“We now appeal to the Armenian government to respect the self-governance and autonomy of the Armenian Apostolic Church,” the statement said.

Tensions between the Church and the government escalated sharply in April after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly called for the removal of Catholicos Karekin II, accusing him of violating his vow of celibacy and calling for the “cleansing of the Church.” The remarks followed government allegations of mismanagement, misuse of tax exemptions for illicit business activity, and political interference, including pressure on clergy ahead of the 2021 parliamentary elections.

In recent months, several senior clerics who voiced support for Pashinyan were defrocked, while other church figures, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, were arrested in June and charged with plotting an armed coup and calls for a violent change of government, respectively. Ajapahyan was sentenced to two years in prison in October.

Opposition groups and church representatives have rejected the accusations, arguing that clergy retain the right to political participation as citizens, but at the same time warning that state pressure on the Church violates its constitutionally separate status.

Founded in 1906 in Egypt, AGBU is one of the oldest Armenian nonprofit organizations and has operated for more than a century as a leading global diaspora institution promoting Armenian identity and heritage.