Newspaper: Pashinyan backs candidate for new catholicos

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has reportedly decided to support the candidacy of Aram Asatryan, a priest at Hovhannavank Monastery, in the upcoming election for the Catholicos of All Armenians, a process initiated by Pashinyan himself.

According to Caliber.Az, citing sources from the Yerevan newspaper Zhokhovurd, government officials consider Asatryan a target of persecution by “former” authorities and are actively protecting him to ensure his inclusion in the forthcoming election process.

The publication also notes that Asatryan is seen as “the only clergyman who violates the strict unity of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and criticises the spiritual leader.”

Tensions between the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church intensified following Pashinyan’s posts on social media, where he issued sharply worded statements and accusations against senior clergy members.

In addition, he proposed altering the procedure for electing the Catholicos of All Armenians, suggesting that the state should have a decisive role in the process.

This proposal has sparked controversy because, under the Armenian constitution, the state and church are constitutionally separate. Many lawyers and politicians have already accused Pashinyan of attempting to undermine the constitutional order through his intervention in the church’s internal affairs.

By Tamilla Hasanova