Armenian Church hierarchs urge Catholicos Garegin II to resign

A group of Armenian bishops and archbishops has publicly called on Catholicos Garegin II to voluntarily resign, Sputnik Armenia reports.

In their statement, the hierarchs accused Garegin II of arbitrary governance, interference in political processes, and other actions they deemed incompatible with the mission of the church’s head.

The authors of the appeal also questioned the legitimacy of Garegin II’s election in 1999, claiming it took place “under pressure and intimidation.” They criticised the unjustified defrocking of certain priests and the appointment of “loyal but incompetent” clerics to key positions.

The appeal was signed by 10 hierarchs: eight who attended a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on November 27, and two who joined later — Archbishop Ovnan Terteryan, head of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in the U.S., and Archbishop Sion Adamyan, head of the Armavir Diocese.

By Khagan Isayev