Armenian clerics launch petition urging resignation of Catholicos Garegin II After meeting with PM

A group of bishops and archbishops who recently met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have launched an online petition calling for the resignation of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.

The petition, titled “Petition to retire Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, elect a Catholicosal locum tenens, and organise new Catholicosal elections,” urges steps toward leadership change within the Armenian Apostolic Church, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media. 

“I join the petition to retire Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, elect a Catholicosal locum tenens, and organise new Catholicosal elections,” the petition reads.

The tension reflects a growing rift between the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), which has sharply escalated in 2025 and centres on the Catholicos. The conflict intensified after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly accused Garegin II of violating his vow of celibacy—a claim that, under Church law, could render him ineligible to hold office.

This allegation comes after years of mounting friction, during which the Church openly criticised Pashinyan’s handling of national crises, including the aftermath of the 2020 war. In response, the prime minister has sought to reduce the Church’s influence over Armenian society, proposing mechanisms to replace Garegin II and engaging diplomats abroad to convince diaspora church leaders to support government positions.

By Sabina Mammadli