Armenian PM’s office: Incident in France shows public attitude to Garegin II

A senior official in the office of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that chants heard in France against Catholicos Garegin II reflected public anger over what he described as the church leader’s “sacrilege, political activity and clan dealings”.

Taron Chakhoyan, a deputy chief of staff to the prime minister, said the slogans directed at Garegin II — whose secular name is Ktrich Nersisyan — were a response to what he called attempts to “conceal and justify sacrilege,” Caliber.Az reports. 

Armenian media quoted Chakhoyan as saying the chants of “shameless, resign”, heard during an incident in France, were also a response to what he described as violations of monastic vows, political involvement, alleged cooperation with foreign interests, and the transformation of the church into a business structure.

“This was just one episode when Ktrich Nersisyan appeared before the people for a brief moment,” Chakhoyan said. “Now, perhaps, many will understand why he never appears in public.”

Catholicos Garegin II has not yet publicly responded to the remarks.

By Aghakazim Guliyev