Azerbaijan’s Top Shia Muslim Cleric Launches New Attacks on Armenian Church as Campaign Against Catholicos Continues

Azerbaijan’s top Shia Muslim cleric, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, has once again launched harsh attacks against the Armenian Apostolic Church. His latest criticism came just as Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continues his public campaign to remove the church’s supreme head, Catholicos Karekin II.

On Wednesday, Pashazade sent a strong letter to the World Council of Churches. The international group had recently held a conference in Switzerland focused on protecting the Armenian religious and cultural heritage of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). In his letter, the Azerbaijani cleric accused the Armenian Church of stirring Armenians to “fight to the death,” and urged the council not to support what he called the church’s “provocative” and “revanchist” propaganda that harms stability in the region.

Meanwhile, at the same conference in Bern, Catholicos Karekin II spoke firmly about the ongoing suffering of Armenians. He accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh and illegal occupation of Armenian border areas. He also condemned the “sham trials” against the former Artsakh leadership, who were captured during Azerbaijan’s military offensive last September and are now held as political prisoners.

Karekin’s words at the conference came as Prime Minister Pashinyan intensified his attacks on the Armenian Church. Over recent days, Pashinyan has used social media to accuse the church’s senior clergymen of breaking their vows of celibacy through secret affairs. The Prime Minister has demanded the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II and promised to create a special committee to appoint a new church leader.

These actions have caused alarm among Armenian opposition leaders, public figures, and many ordinary citizens. They say Pashinyan’s campaign is illegal and warn against any attempt by the government to seize control of the church’s headquarters in Echmiadzin. Some opposition voices believe Pashinyan’s attacks on the church are a way to please Azerbaijan or to silence a powerful voice opposing his concessions to Armenia’s enemy.

Earlier in May, Sheikh Pashazade made similar harsh remarks about the Armenian Church when he announced the opening of a new Muslim office division covering parts of Armenia. He repeated claims often made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that much of modern Armenia is “historical Azerbaijani land” including Yerevan. Pashazade also described the Armenian Church as a threat to regional peace.

The Armenian Apostolic Church firmly rejected these accusations. In a statement issued on May 23, the Mother See in Echmiadzin called Pashazade’s claims “absurd” and “ridiculous.” The church said that such hostile words from Azerbaijan’s religious leaders only prove that Azerbaijan itself threatens peace in the region.

Despite these pressures, the church and its followers remain united and determined to protect their faith and identity.

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