Armenian’s liberal government was not an ally of the deep, conservative Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), but it opened up a deep gap when Prime Minister Nicole Pashinyan made an extraordinary allegation against an unknown senior clergy.
“Your grace, become an idiot with your uncle’s wife. What do you want from me?” Pashinyan said.
He also sought to resign, accusing Catricus Calekin II of breaking his vows of singleness and attacking his father with his child. The BBC approached the church for comment but did not respond.
Until now, the church and government have found ways to coexist, but the queues are threatening to further divide the already biased Armenian society, affecting the outcome of next year’s elections.
It could also undermine peace negotiations that could reshape the entire region of the South Caucasus after Armenia’s fierce defeat in the war with Azerbaijan.
Armenia is considered to be the first country to make Christianity a religion of the state after the king was baptized in 301ad. There is a separation between the church and the state by law, but the Armenian Constitution recognizes the AAC “as a national church.”
The church has not addressed the allegations, but the prime minister said he had asked for “silence that voice.” The government has repeatedly said it has not spoken about the issue of church governance.
If true, Pashinyan’s allegations would make Catricos unsuitable for his job. Under the ordinance of the church, only the monks who have made the vow of singleness can be elected to Catricos.
For these reasons, Pashinyan demands Karekin’s resignation despite his lack of jurisdiction over the church. He has not presented any evidence but threatened to release it.
Pashinyan also attacked other senior clergy. This accuses the archbishop of cheating on an extraordinary allegation of “silly” with his uncle’s wife.
Two of the opposition parties and the former Armenian presidents, Levon Ter Petrosian and Seltz Sargian, gathered behind the church to condemn Pashinyan’s move.
Kalekin II joined the Prime Minister’s call from various political figures from for the Prime Minister to resign, and relations with the government with the government worsened after the defeat against Azerbaijan in 2020.
Pashinyan came to power and the church became a prominent voice of anti-government.
Recently, Karekin II has called for the right to return for the Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan, which was recaptured in 2023.
The Prime Minister’s allies are unhappy with such interventions because they contradict the government’s position in ongoing peace negotiations.
Pashinyan calls for a quick peace treaty where both countries will reduce mutual claims. However, the Azerbaijani media grabbed nationalist demands of opposition as evidence that Armenia was not ready for peace.
The Armenian Church benefits from becoming a hub of objections. With personal competition among opposition leaders, it has attracted people who are unhappy with the authorities.
Armenian political analysts suggest that this could be the real reason for the sudden attack on government church leaders.
The next general election is scheduled for June 2026, and the anti-church campaign could be a preemptive attack on conservative opposition hubs.
The Prime Minister himself linked his position to politics. “We’ve brought the nation back to the people. Now we have to bring the church back to the people.”
This week, when a powerful benefactor spoke out in support of the Church, the government moved swiftly against him.
Russian BC billionaire Samvel Karapetian threatened to “intervene in our own way in a campaign against the church” if opposition politicians were unable to defend it.
Hours later, his residence was attacked and on Wednesday he was charged with a “official call to overthrow the government.” He denies the charge.
The conflict between Armenian political and spiritual leaders is a very sensitive issue far beyond the border as the church has hundreds of diaspora, from Russia and Ukraine to Western Europe and the Middle East and the United States.
Rumors about Kalekin’s secret family have been circulating in tabloids for a long time, but for years more serious charges have been made by the diaspora parish.
They argued that church leaders were coercing on a micromanagement parish where they enjoyed monthly payments and operational autonomy.
In 2013, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem accused Calekin II of having no spiritual values and only gaining it in his material health. The church said the allegations were false.
Until recently, Nicole Pashinyan has largely remained in conflict. “It’s my belief that the government has no place in internal issues with the church,” he said shortly after taking office in 2018. After many years of respect for this pledge, the Prime Minister may have changed his mind.
Whatever the outcome of this column, the question of wedges about not only political infighting, but also about whether to alliance with Russia to the West, and the problem of wedges due to tensions between Armenian and ethnic Armenians from Nogorno Karabak could deepen the polarization of an already fractured society.
