Armenian Authorities Block Catholicos Karekin II From Traveling to Ilia II Funeral

The investigator has rejected a motion that would have allowed the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, to travel to Georgia, according to lawyer Ara Zohrabyan. The decision prevents the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church from attending the funeral of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, who passed away on March 17 at the age of 93.

The Georgian Church had officially invited the Catholicos to attend the funeral ceremony and take part in the Divine Liturgy scheduled for March 22. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin had earlier confirmed that Karekin II intended to be present at the funeral.

In order to make the trip possible, the Catholicos’s legal representative submitted a request to the investigator, asking that he be permitted to leave the country for several days. However, according to the response later published by the lawyer, the motion was denied on the grounds that it was considered unfounded.

The development comes during ongoing legal proceedings involving the Catholicos. On February 14, Armenia’s Investigative Committee initiated a case against Karekin II on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial act. As part of these proceedings, he was banned from leaving the country.

The judicial dispute at the center of the case relates to Arman Sargsyan, formerly known as Bishop Gevorg, who previously led the Armavir Diocese. Sargsyan filed a lawsuit against the Armenian Apostolic Church, challenging the Catholicos’s decision to remove him from his position. He has demanded that the decision be declared invalid and that he be reinstated.

A court has ruled that Sargsyan must be reinstated as head of the Armavir Diocese until a final decision is reached in the case. The ruling became the basis for the legal actions now directed at the Catholicos, with authorities claiming that the judicial act has not been properly enforced.

The issue has also drawn political attention. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had earlier stated that Armenia would be represented at Ilia II’s funeral at the highest level. When asked whether Karekin II would attend, Pashinyan responded that he does not recognize “Ktrich Nersisyan” as the Catholicos of Armenians.

As a result of the travel ban and the rejected motion, the Catholicos will not be able to attend the funeral ceremonies in Georgia, despite the official invitation and prior plans to participate.

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