July 29, 2026
On July 27, the indictment in the criminal case against the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six high-ranking clergymen: Natan, Haykazun, Makar, Hovnan, and Mushegh was entered into the court of general jurisdiction of Armavir region, signed by judge Hakob Manukyan.
“Garegin B. Nersisyan is accused of an act prohibited by the threat of punishment, committed with guilt, that he, being also the president of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the religious organization “Holy Apostolic Church of Armenia”, using his official powers, obstructed the execution of the decision of the General Jurisdiction Court of Armavir Marz regarding “Satisfying the Petition for Applying a Claim Security Measure” which entered into legal force. This is the official summary of the accusation.
And the reality is as follows. the spiritual leader, Garegin B, released his former subordinate clergyman, the former Rev. Gevorg (Arman Saroyan), from the position he had appointed earlier. With this case launched against Vehapar, not only the requirement of the Constitution not to interfere in the affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church is clearly violated, but also an absurd situation arises. that is, the person presents his demands regarding the spiritual service in a secular status under the name of the pool (Arman Saroyan) and tries to clarify issues in the spiritual structure with the secular structure.
July 28, they say, is the birthday of Arman Saroyan, a former clergyman and the former spiritual son of His Holiness. perhaps he will be satisfied with this gift case entered into the court.
Let’s note that a criminal prosecution has been initiated against the Patriarch of All Armenians, allegedly within the framework of the criminal proceedings regarding the non-execution of the court act in the case of Arman Saroyan. The former leader of the Masyatsotn Diocese, already disbanded Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, alias Arman Saroyan, requested the AAP to invalidate the patriarchal administration of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on his dismissal from the post of the leader of the Masyatsotn Diocese and, as a consequence, to restore his position as the leader of the Masyatsotn Diocese.
The claim was again entered into proceedings at the Armavir Marz Court of General Jurisdiction, and Judge Edgar Hovhannisyan satisfied the motion to enforce the claim, temporarily restoring the bishop to the position of leader of the Masyatsotn Diocese, until the final judicial act in the case is made. After this decision, the law enforcement officers initiated criminal proceedings for allegedly not fulfilling the court act, as a result of which criminal prosecutions were initiated against the members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, then it became known that they were banned from leaving the Republic of Armenia.
In February, a criminal prosecution was also initiated against His Holiness. this time the ban on absenteeism was used as a preventive measure. This surprisingly coincided with the holding of the bishops’ meeting in Austria, but the restraining order imposed on His Holiness could not stop the meeting of the bishops. Already in March, His Holiness was forbidden to participate in the funeral ceremony of Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilya II.
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Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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