Armenia lacks rules governing clergy's moral conduct, PM Pashinyan says

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has continued to outline details of the roadmap for reforming the Armenian Apostolic Church, focusing on standards of conduct for the clergy.

Pashinyan said that Armenia currently lacks clearly defined rules governing the moral conduct of clergy, a gap that applies to both married and celibate priests, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media outlets.

He emphasised the need for the church’s leadership to determine whether the institution of celibacy should be maintained. If retained, Pashinyan said it must be clarified whether celibacy should remain a mandatory requirement for becoming a bishop or whether both celibate and married bishops should be permitted.

He also stressed the importance of providing a clear definition of celibacy to avoid differing interpretations.

Pashinyan noted that decisions on these matters should be made by the clergy itself. However, he said that any adopted rules must be formally codified, published, and made accessible to the public, with clear criteria defining which violations are incompatible with clerical service.

By Khagan Isayev