The Church Must Return to the People, Garegin II Should Leave the See

The deepening of strained relations between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church continues. On June 8, the Prime Minister, in a post published late in the evening, stated:

"The state (power) belongs to the people. The Church belongs to the people. We have returned the state (power) to the people. We must also return the Church to the people."

His message was accompanied by more specific and direct accusations against the Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II. According to Pashinyan, Garegin II has violated his vow of celibacy and has a child.

"This is a fact, and if Garegin II tries to deny it, I will prove it in the necessary format."

He emphasized that according to the Canons of the Armenian Apostolic Church, under such conditions, Garegin II could not and should not have been elected bishop, archbishop, or Catholicos. According to Pashinyan, Ktrich Nersisyan (Garegin II's secular name) must vacate the Veharan.

The Prime Minister stressed that he speaks as a faithful follower of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, treating the values of spiritual heritage with reverence. According to him, the church must have a newly elected Catholicos whose integrity will be pre-verified and confirmed. Pashinyan called on believers to unite around the agenda of "Christianly liberating" the Veharan and electing a holy clergyman.