Government Releases ‘Crisis in Church’ Report, Which Etchmiadzin Calls ‘Uncon

The Mother Cathedral of Armenia to Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral

A report regarding the so-called crisis with the Armenian Apostolic Church that was touted by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as a conduit to advance his campaign against the church and Catholicos Karekin II was released by the Public Relations and Information Center on Thursday.

The 68-page report documents allegations and accusations that have been made against the Catholicos and the church since Pashinyan started his campaign in May 2025, seemingly after Karekin II defended the rights of Artsakh Armenians and called for the release of Armenian hostages being held in Baku at an international conference in Geneva.

The Holy See of Etchmiadzin was quick to condemn the report, calling it “unconstitutional.”

The report does not refer to the Catholicos by his name, but rather calls him the “de-facto head” of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Most of the references cited in the report to prove the allegations come from media outlets directly linked to Pashinyan or his circle.

The PRIC—which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office—also attempts to offer “solutions” and a roadmap for overcoming the so-called “crisis” in the following manner:

• Clarification and publicizing of the reform agenda
• Removal (or retirement) of the de facto head of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church
• Election of a Locum Tenens (Acting Catholicos)
• Adoption of a unified Statute for the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church
• Election of the Catholicos of All Armenians

“This report does not challenge the Church’s doctrinal foundations, Holy Tradition, or canonical order,” a statement on the report said. “On the contrary, it documents violations of those very foundations—in defense of the Church’s identity and autonomy.”

The report documents 16 points that, according to the executive body, reflect the crisis. These include:

• violations of the vow of celibacy and the impunity regarding breaches of conduct,
• arbitrary persecution and defrocking of clergy,
• financial lack of transparency and the misuse of Church property,
• nepotistic ordinations and clan-based governance,
• politicization of the Holy Altar and the spread of external influences,
• the 27-year obstruction of the National-Ecclesiastical Assembly and the absence of a unified Constitution,
• divisions within Diaspora dioceses.

The report presents allegations—including details regarding the alleged sexual lives of clergy—that are largely based on interviews with various clerics who are dissatisfied with the Catholicos for various reasons. Although the Apostolic Church is one of Armenia’s major taxpayers due to the assets it manages, the report also addresses the issue of financial transparency at length.

Pashinyan, who was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, commented on this matter, stating that the report proves the Church has been seized by ‘Katrich Nersisyan’ and a group of supporting clergy and laypeople, referring to the Catholicos by his layman’s name.

Last month, Pashinyan also indicated that the support for Artsakh articulated by the Catholicos and Etchmiadzin also warrant Karekin II’s removal from his position.

This report comes at a time when Azerbaijan has stepped up its campaign to disparage centuries-old Armenian religious institutions, such as the 13th century Gandzasar Monastery and the 9th century Dadivank Monastery, by characterizing them as having so-called “Caucasian Albanian” heritage.

Prioritizing the peace agenda with Baku, Pashinyan and his government have given tacit responses to Baku’s increasingly belligerent effort to appropriate Armenian culture and heritage—a systematic policy that is part of Azebaijan’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Armenians.

The Catholicos and six other high-ranking clergy are under indictment. Thus far, judges presiding over the hearing, using various legal maneuvers, have refused to hear the case. During the last hearing, which was convened on September 18, the presiding judge said that he will make a ruling on the case on October 30, as lawyers for the clerics made motions to throw the case out.

It remains to be seen how this report, which Pashinyan wants the parliament to discuss, will impact the outcome of the court proceedings.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Holy See of Etchmiadzin called the report “unconstitutional, anti-canonical, and unlawful in its content and form.”

“The ‘report,’ composed on the basis of accusations and slander publicized on social media and in the media with the waste of state funds, is a manifestation of political vendetta and the condemnable interference in the internal life of the Church,” the Etchmiadzin statement said.

The statement recalled the position adopted by the Bishops’ Synod convened in Saint Polten, Austria, from February 17 to 19, according to which it is necessary for the Armenian authorities to:

• stop the persecution of the [Armenian Apostolic] Church and respect the centuries-old sovereignty and autonomy of the Church, anchoring Church
  -state relations on mutual respect, a clear separation of powers, and the priority of national interests,
• put an end to the repression of clergymen [of the Armenian Apostolic Church] and the nationally elected Patriarch of All Armenians through fabricated accusations and slander,
• act exclusively in accordance with the RA Constitution, legislation and international laws, and remain faithful to the proclaimed democratic principles—guaranteeing freedom of conscience, religion and belief in the country, ensuring social solidarity instead of division,
• dispel existing problems and disagreements in the spirit of dialogue, without preconditions—refraining from unpromising ultimatum language.

“It is obvious that Armenia’s authorities are making efforts to create an artificial crisis in church life. Any reform movement dictated by arbitrary political approaches, machinations, and coercion is unacceptable,” the Etchmiadzin statement said.

“The processes of overcoming the challenges facing the Armenian Church and improving it are carried out solely by decisions of the highest canonical church bodies,” Etchmiadzin emphasized.

“This reprehensible policy adopted to weaken the Church, discredit the clergy [of the church] can never serve the good of the homeland and our people throughout the world, to strengthen unity, especially to withstand the current trials in the face of external security threats,” Etchmiadzin added in its statement.