Armenian church leaders to hold bishops’ meeting abroad

The Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church announced plans on January 13 to convene a council of Armenian bishops from February 16 to 19 outside of Armenia.

Catholicos Garegin II cited the need to ensure the participation of his brother, Ezra Nersisyan, who is currently under investigation in Armenia on allegations of working with foreign intelligence services, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media. 

The decision sparked opposition from several council members, who argued that such a meeting should take place at the Holy See of Echmiadzin, the historic spiritual centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Initially, the matter remained unresolved.

However, later in the meeting, Ktrich Nersisyan returned to the room and announced that the bishops’ council would be held in Austria. Observers noted that this decision appeared to follow consultations with Ezra Nersisyan. Bishops holding Armenian citizenship were instructed to obtain Schengen visas, with reports indicating that Bishop Narek Avagyan, head of the Artik Diocese, had recently received a visa at Nersisyan’s request.

Critics have described the move as bypassing the traditional authority of Echmiadzin and initiating actions that could undermine diocesan governance. The meeting was initially proposed to take place in Romania before Austria was confirmed as the location.

By Sabina Mammadli