Clergymen appointed by the Armenian Church have been banned from entering places of imprisonment by a decision of the Head of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, according to a statement issued by the information system of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
“The head of the penitentiary service has effectively suspended the spiritual service of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church within penitentiary institutions. At the same time, bypassing the Mother See and disregarding legal procedures, he has signed employment contracts with individual clergymen.
This step represents another targeted anti-church campaign by the authorities aimed at restricting the pastoral mission of the Armenian Church in public life, as guaranteed by law. Similar manifestations have also been observed in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and in the education sector.
Article 10 of the Law “On Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church” defines the Church’s mission to carry out pastoral activities in places of detention. In addition, Article 17 of the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” recognizes the Armenian Church’s pastoral service in penitentiary institutions as an exclusive mandate of the national Church and legally guarantees the state’s obligation not to obstruct this activity.
Accordingly, the decision of the Head of the Penitentiary Service to disregard the agreement signed between the supervising ministry and the Armenian Church, and to make unilateral arrangements for the provision of spiritual services in penitentiary institutions, is deemed unacceptable. It should be clearly stated that, in accordance with the above-mentioned laws and the agreement between the RA Ministry of Justice and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, the entity responsible for carrying out pastoral services is not an individual clergyman, but the Armenian Church as an institution.
Such practices constitute a gross interference in the internal life of the Church and disrupt its regulated and organized pastoral service, reducing it to individual initiative and administrative arbitrariness. These ongoing unlawful actions against the Church leave little doubt, according to the statement, that the ruling political force has elevated anti-church policy to the level of state policy – an approach described as destructive and strongly condemnable.
For years, spiritual service in penitentiary institutions has been an essential mission of the Armenian Church, aimed at providing spiritual care to persons deprived of their liberty, supporting their transformation through repentance, and facilitating their dignified reintegration into society.
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin calls on the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia to respect the law and the established ecclesiastical order, and, without hindering the Church’s mission, to restore the normal functioning of spiritual service in penitentiary institutions,” the statement said.
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