Rumours swirl over possible security operation against Armenian Apostolic Church leadership

Members of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party said on December 22 that they had not received any official notification regarding participation in a liturgy scheduled for December 28 in Echmiadzin.

The press secretary of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed that the church where such a liturgy might take place with their involvement has not yet been identified, Caliber.Az reports, citing information published by the newspaper Hraparak.

According to the publication, rumours are circulating that Pashinyan intends to settle issues related to the Church and the Catholicos “at any cost.” Hraparak claims that the prime minister plans to enter the Cathedral together with renegade bishops and supporters, and that beforehand, using security forces, he intends to “‘purge’ the church of clergy—and, if necessary, to arrest other close associates of the Catholicos of All Armenians so that he is brought to his knees.”

“He wants to settle this matter at any cost before the elections. In addition to the demands of external forces, he also believes that if he succeeds in implementing his plan, public apathy will increase, and it will not take much effort to win the elections,” the newspaper writes.

The publication further states that, in such a scenario, “ordinary citizens will begin to hate not only Pashinyan, who has brought the church to its knees, but also an impotent opposition that was unable to prevent all this.”

Hraparak also reports that last week, Pashinyan, “with the help of 10 renegade bishops,” carried out what it describes as a test operation aimed at assessing the opposition’s capacity to defend the Patriarchal Residence, the number of people likely to oppose him, and the level of force required to seize the Patriarchal Residence.

The developments come amid escalating tensions in Armenia between the government and the leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which have intensified since mid-2025. The confrontation centres on the Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II (secular name: Ktrich Nersisyan).

Prime Minister Pashinyan has repeatedly accused Garegin II of illegitimately retaining his position, violating his vow of celibacy, and fathering a child, and has publicly called on him to resign. Church leaders, for their part, have accused the prime minister of orchestrating an anti-church campaign.

By Tamilla Hasanova