Armenia is again gripped by a dramatic confrontation between its political and religious elites. Recent public attacks by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, are the latest in a series of standoffs since 2018 that reflect a broader struggle between Armenia’s revolutionary present and its entrenched past. This comes a year after Karekin II approved of street protests led by one of his archbishops to force Pashinyan’s resignation. Pashinyan has accused the Catholicos of violating his vow of celibacy and fathering a child. These accusations are not new. They last surfaced in the Armenian media over a decade ago. The recent language accompanying these charges, including that from Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan, who likened the clergy to pedophiles, however, marks a significant escalation. Many suspect that Pashinyan seeks to silence critical voices ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for June 2026.
The church and opposition groups are hitting back. Even though the Catholicos has not previously denied these accusations, his supporters have claimed that the allegations violate articles of Armenia’s criminal code. The government, however, has for over a year now claimed that the Armenian Apostolic Church has violated the constitutional separation of church and state by involving the Catholicos in domestic politics, including by opposing the fragile peace process with Azerbaijan.
[…]
Allegations of corruption have plagued Karekin II, real name Ktrij Nersessyan, for years. This includes the controversial appointment of his brother, Yezras, who Pashinyan now refers to only by his birth name, as head the Russian Diocese and its association with pro-Russian military factions, such as the Arbat Battalion, which was implicated in an alleged coup attempt on the Pashinyan government last year. These connections have only reinforced the perception that the Church is more of a political actor than a spiritual institution.
[…]
As the 2026 elections approach, the rift between the Church and the state is likely to intensify. The conflict has become emblematic of a larger ideological struggle between two visions of Armenia—one rooted in the post-Soviet legacy of Kocharyan, Sargsyan, and the Church, and the other in Pashinyan’s vision of a reformed country seeking to integrate into both regional and international structures, and at peace with its neighbors. If unresolved, it risks destabilizing not just the already shaky relationship between church and state, but Armenia’s broader national identity at a time when many argue that unity is most needed.
The full piece is available here.
