Pashinyan Demands Catholicos Karekin II Resign, Escalates Attack on Armenian Apostolic Church

In another attack on his social media pages on June 8, Pashinyan accused Karekin II of breaking his religious vow of celibacy and fathering a child—without providing immediate proof. The Prime Minister promised to present evidence if the Catholicos denied the claim.

“Karekin II has broken the celibacy oath he voluntarily undertook and has a child,” Pashinyan wrote. “This is a fact. If he tries to deny it, I will prove it in the appropriate format.”

According to church law, bishops and the Catholicos must remain celibate. Pashinyan argued that Karekin II should not have been allowed to become Catholicos in the first place and called on the Church to elect a new leader with proven moral integrity.

“As a faithful follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church, I say that the Church must have a newly elected Catholicos,” Pashinyan stated. “We have returned the government to the people. Now we must also return the Church to the people.”

This is not the first time Pashinyan has attacked the Church. Just weeks ago, he accused high-ranking clergy of corruption and hypocrisy during a heated government meeting, using offensive language. He and his wife, Anna Hakobyan, continued the attack on social media, targeting Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan of the Gougark Diocese and calling for his removal.

The Church responded strongly. The Supreme Spiritual Council, the Church’s highest body, condemned Pashinyan’s words and actions, calling them politically motivated and dangerous for national unity.

“The Prime Minister has once again launched an offensive against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, using words and accusations unworthy of a public official,” the Council declared. “This anti-Church stance is clearly driven by political motives.”

So far, Catholicos Karekin II has not responded personally to these latest accusations. Pashinyan has yet to provide concrete evidence but says he will if challenged.

Last year, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan led large protests calling for Pashinyan’s resignation, with the Catholicos quietly supporting his efforts. The government retaliated by questioning the Church’s tax privileges and proposing new oversight rules.

Most recently, Pashinyan suggested requiring background checks for future Catholicos candidates. Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan also suggested making Church tax exemptions dependent on strict financial transparency.

This new wave of attacks followed the Catholicos’s participation in an Armenian heritage conference in Switzerland, where he strongly condemned Azerbaijan for its 2023 ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. The Catholicos also called for the right of return for Armenians to their homeland.

His comments were seen as conflicting with Pashinyan’s current approach to Azerbaijan, which focuses on cautious diplomacy and avoids statements that could disrupt ongoing talks.

Despite the government’s attacks, the Armenian Apostolic Church remains the most trusted institution in the country, according to recent public opinion polls. The Church has consistently called for calm and unity, urging the government to stop creating unnecessary conflicts.

“The Church calls for de-escalation and warns against artificial agendas that could harm both Armenia and the global Armenian community,” Church leaders said.

As Armenia faces ongoing national challenges, many believe that now is a time for solidarity—not division. Attempts to weaken the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected institutions, risk further destabilizing society at a critical moment.

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