Armenian PM claims Catholicos of All Armenians defrocked

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has publicly questioned the legitimacy of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, claiming he has been defrocked for violating his vow of celibacy.

Speaking ahead of a planned liturgy at Ohanavank Monastery on October 26, Pashinyan said he intends to participate under the guidance of Father Aram Asatryan, the monastery’s priest, who was recently stripped of his clerical status by Karekin II, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media.

“I, as a believer of the Armenian Apostolic Church, declare that Ktrich Nersisyan [Catholicos’ secular name] has long been defrocked and is no longer a representative of the clergy,” Pashinyan said. “He has seized the patriarchal throne with others like him. A defrocked priest cannot perform legitimate sacraments.”

The Prime Minister also criticised what he described as a lack of spaces for spiritual life in Armenia today. “While we speak of the need for a values-driven society, the very centre of societal values is corrupted. Recent events have convinced me that Ohanavank is a place where genuine spiritual life can be pursued,” he said.

Pashinyan expressed confidence that attempts to discredit Father Asatryan’s religious activities by the church hierarchy would fail, and said there were moral and legal grounds to return the monastery to the state and support the priest’s work.

The controversy stems from a decision announced on 21 October by the Catholicos of All Armenians to defrock Father Asatryan.

Church authorities cited public statements by the priest that allegedly discredited the Armenian Apostolic Church, breaches of church discipline, and his failure to mention the names of the Catholicos and diocesan head during services.

By Aghakazim Guliyev