Media: Armenian ruling party vows continued pressure to oust Catholicos Garegin II

One of the main topics at the June 11 board meeting of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party was the potential removal of Catholicos Garegin II, according to Yerevan-based newspaper Zhoghovurd, as reported by Caliber.Az.

Pro-government sources told the outlet that party members reiterated the need to weaken the influence of the Supreme Patriarch and the clergy that has rallied around him. They also reportedly pushed to publicise a personal question posed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: “Does the Catholicos have a child or not?”

According to Zhoghovurd, nearly all Civil Contract board members agreed that pressure on the Catholicos must continue and be intensified. The newspaper further claims that this pressure will also extend to opposition forces, particularly those who gathered at the airport to welcome Garegin II upon his return to Armenia.

The Civil Contract members reportedly expressed concern that various political forces are attempting to capitalise on the situation for political gain. They stressed the need to act swiftly to prevent this, the paper added.

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 centre 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