Time for Garegin II to retire, restore church neutrality, says Baltic Archbishop

Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Baltic States, has urged Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II to step aside, stressing that the Armenian Apostolic Church must remain outside political affairs.

The archbishop cautioned against the politicization of the Church, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

"It is unacceptable to involve the Church in politics. Garegin II should retire, and the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church must serve its entire faithful community and work to strengthen the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia, irrespective of which political force is in power," he stated.

As Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his team are considering new measures to exert pressure on the clergy.

As of December 2, tensions between Armenia’s government and the Armenian Apostolic Church are escalating. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly called on Catholicos Garegin II to resign, accusing him of violating his vow of celibacy and pointing to alleged corruption within the Church.

A group of senior bishops has publicly urged Garegin II to step down, citing concerns over governance and the Church’s public credibility.

By Vafa Guliyeva