Armenian ruling elite confident Catholicos Garegin II to resign soon

The ruling elite in Armenia are increasingly convinced that Catholicos Garegin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, will resign in the near future, according to a report by the Yerevan-based newspaper Zhoghovurd, cited by Caliber.Az.

The newspaper says that the government has effectively left the clergy with no choice but to comply with conditions set by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This development means the Armenian Apostolic Church is preparing to elect a new Catholicos soon.

Clerics speaking to the publication revealed that the Catholicos assured his team that their desired outcome would be achieved through silence, urging them not to respond to the “noise” stirred up by Pashinyan, which he believes will “gradually subside soon.”

In recent weeks, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has intensified his public criticism of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II, accusing him of violating his religious vows—specifically, the vow of celibacy required of high-ranking clergy in the church. Pashinyan’s allegations, disseminated through a series of social media posts, suggest that the Catholicos may have fathered a child after having taken his vow, a serious breach under the canons of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.

The prime minister’s most recent Facebook post posed a pointed question to the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, the spiritual center of the church, asking what the canonical consequences are when a celibate clergyman allegedly violates this commitment. His messaging implies a demand for accountability and institutional transparency, challenging the traditional silence of the church hierarchy on such matters.

By Khagan Isayev