“ACNIS ReView from Yerevan”. The unprecedented confrontation between the church and the government has loomed large, becoming the central discourse of our turbulent times. Setting aside pressing state affairs on Christmas Eve, the person occupying the prime minister’s chair chose to give new momentum to his anti-church campaign, which he has been pursuing for eight months. On January 5, he and ten senior schismatic clergymen supporting him signed a statement and a roadmap at the prime minister’s residence, once again demanding the resignation of Garegin II. Nikol has thus launched a new phase in his struggle against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church—a struggle for which he has no mandate, neither as prime minister nor as an Armenian.
The statement outlines a plan for the removal of the Supreme Patriarch consisting of four main steps: a) public presentation of the “reform agenda” of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church; b) election of a locum tenens (acting Catholicos); c) adoption of a Church Charter and the establishment of a Coordinating Council; d) election of a new Catholicos. The most striking aspect of the document is the description of Garegin II as the “de facto head of the Church.” This wording directly contradicts Armenia’s basic law, as no such designation exists in the Constitution. The well-established and constitutionally recognized title is Catholicos of All Armenians.
It is difficult to believe that Nikol Pashinyan is unaware of this. His aim, rather, appears to be the deliberate humiliation of people and the infliction of pain—just as when he addresses the Catholicos by his baptismal name and demands that his associates do the same. For Pashinyan, violating the law and the Constitution is as easy as drinking a glass of water. He recognizes no red lines or boundaries. He seeks to demonstrate that he can do whatever he wants because he is the chosen one, exceptional—in short, because he is Nikol. He knows perfectly well that the Church is separate from the state; he knows that the usurpation of the judicial system is a grave violation of the law; he knows that, as prime minister, he has a clearly defined scope of authority from which he has no right to deviate—but none of this seems to matter.
It recently became known that the group of ten bishops aligned with the prime minister has been joined by roughly a dozen and a half priests. To them, Nikol conveyed words of “brotherly support,” expressing hope that new groups of clergy would join the Church’s proclaimed “reform.” “Reverend Fathers, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church will be reformed with your blessing and active participation as well. I call on all our communities and provinces, our beloved people, to support, encourage, promote, and protect all priests who have joined and those who are preparing to join the reform,” Pashinyan wrote on Facebook. In doing so, he openly demonstrated that he has launched a serious process aimed not only at dividing the Church, but also at splitting society and turning the nation against itself.
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It appears that this nation-destroying turmoil was merely lacking priests of a “suitable” caliber—and behold, they were found. Their arrival encouraged Pashinyan and pushed him toward new schemes to intensify pressure on the Church. The government hastily adopted a decision under which state and community lands will no longer be transferred to the Church. The executive branch also dissolved Shoghakat TV, the only television channel founded by the Church that consistently covered the spiritual life of the Republic of Armenia, not to mention the high-ranking clergymen who have been unlawfully held in detention for months. Incidentally, Nikol Pashinyan has recently not ruled out the possibility of law enforcement entering the Mother See.
One can expect even the most reckless actions from Pashinyan. For some reason, he believes that everyone is indebted to him—first and foremost the clergy, who, in his view, must serve him silently and fulfill his every whim. Perhaps Father Pargev Zeynalyan, priest of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Sisian, was among the first clergymen to leave Nikol Pashinyan’s hand hanging in the air when the latter visited Syunik Province—refusing to greet the defeated Supreme Commander and pointing him instead toward the church door. This occurred on December 21, 2020. The spiritual shepherd of the Sisian church, Father Pargev, was the first to stand up against Nikol and Nikolism, making it clear that the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is not his domain. Father Pargev has remained in his trench to this day. He was not mistaken.