Bishops called on Armenian authorities to stop persecution of clergy

Participants in the bishops' meeting, in an appeal to the Armenian authorities, demanded an end to the persecution of Catholicos Garegin II and other clergy.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 14, it became known that the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia had initiated criminal proceedings against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II for obstructing the execution of a judicial decision related to defrocked Archbishop Gevorg Saroyan. The Catholicos has also been banned from leaving the country. This could impact the Catholicos's participation in the bishops' meeting planned in Austria, the lawyer noted.

Participants in the bishops' meeting, which Karekin II was unable to attend, issued an official statement calling on the Armenian authorities to "cease persecution of the Church and respect its centuries-old autonomy, building relations on mutual respect," News.am reported on the evening of February 20.

The bishops also called for "an end to the repression against church officials and the elected Catholicos of All Armenians based on false accusations" and the release of the arrested clergy.

The statement also called for action strictly within the Constitution, Armenian legislation, and international law, and for "resolving existing problems through dialogue, avoiding the hopeless language of ultimatums," the publication said.

The meeting was held from February 17 to 19 in the Austrian city of St. Pölten. It was attended by 25 bishops of the Catholicosate of All Armenians – the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, Aysor.am writes.

As a reminder, on January 4, the leader of the Civil Contract party, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, announced plans to "improve" the Armenian Apostolic Church, which include the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, the adoption of a new charter, and the election of a new primate. After the Christmas service, Pashinyan accused the Catholicos of All Armenians of schism and sectarianism. Harassment of the church undermines the authority of the state, stated Garegin II.

In May 2025, Nikol Pashinyan harshly criticized the church and responded to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan's objections with insults on Facebook*. Armenian politicians and church representatives demanded that Pashinyan apologize for insulting the church.

In December 2025, the arrest of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan was announced. Prior to this, he had stated that he would not resign as head of the chancery of Etchmiadzin. Khachatryan linked his persecution to his stance on Armenian government policy. The court remanded him in custody on drug trafficking charges.

In October 2025, the head of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Mkrtich Proshyan, and priest Garegin Arsenyan were arrested on charges of coercion to participate in public meetings. Earlier, the court sentenced Mikael Ajapayan, Primate of the Shirak Diocese, to two years in prison.

The conflict between the Armenian authorities and the Armenian Apostolic Church has been ongoing since 2018, when Pashinyan came to power. This conflict became apparent against the backdrop of the 2020 Karabakh War and the authorities' desire to improve relations with Turkey, according to analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot."

More information about the persecution of political opponents of the current Armenian government can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Main Thing About Political Arrests in Armenia in the Summer of 2025."