Ten senior clerics urge Armenian Catholicos to step down amid church–state tensions

Archbishop Vasken Mirzakhanian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Baltic States, has revealed that ten archbishops and bishops have jointly urged Catholicos Garegin II to step down, arguing that the Armenian Apostolic Church must free itself from political interference and external influence.

As Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media, Mirzakhanian emphasized the primacy of Armenian statehood, noting: “We have thousands of Armenian churches around the world, but only one state — the Republic of Armenia.”

He recounted an incident on December 7 in Gyumri, where he and fellow clergy arrived at the invitation of Bishop Narek, spiritual overseer of the Diocese of Shirak. According to Mirzakhanian, priests there had completely emptied the church — removing every bench and liturgical vessel — a move he described as both shocking and deeply troubling.

He called the action “a step against our statehood,” insisting that the doors of every Armenian church must remain open to state officials regardless of personal views. “Perhaps they acted unconsciously,” he said, “but this demonstrates intolerance toward our statehood.”

Mirzakhanian also addressed tensions surrounding Catholicos Garegin II, dismissing debates over whether the omission of the Catholicos’ name in liturgical commemoration invalidates services abroad. “This is an artificially inflated issue,” he said. “We must focus not on a specific individual, but on the Sacrament of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The archbishop lamented what he described as the Church’s increasing politicization since Armenia’s 2020 wartime defeat. Historically, he said, the clergy embraced both victories and losses as part of national responsibility, but the post-2020 shift marked “the beginning of political activity” by the Catholicos.

He also criticized the actions of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan — leader of the 2024 “Sacred Struggle” movement — calling them overtly political despite official claims that his ecclesiastical functions had been frozen. According to Mirzakhanian, political statements continued to be issued in the name of the Supreme Spiritual Council and the Assembly of Bishops, despite objections from within the clergy.

“By entering politics, the Church has suffered great damage,” he warned. “The people expect from us the Word of God, not political involvement.”

Mirzakhanian alleged that certain figures had, over the years, turned the Armenian Church into a component of a “deep-state structure,” directed from outside and eroding the Church’s independence. This, he said, prompted ten senior clerics to call for the Catholicos’ retirement to restore the Church’s spiritual integrity.

“The Church must serve only our Lord and the faithful, and stand firmly beside the statehood of the Republic of Armenia,” he stressed.

In a pointed conclusion, Mirzakhanian criticized the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin’s press office, saying its statements “often resemble the rhetoric of the foreign ministry spokesperson of a certain country.”

By Vafa Guliyeva