Pashinyan announces a return of a number of Armenian churches to state

Nikol Pashinyan. Photo: primeminister.am

On October 22, 2025, during a government meeting, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, announced the intention to return a number of churches under the management of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) to state control. This was reported by Armenia Today.

According to the Prime Minister, some of the religious buildings are state property and should be transferred to the "public use". He emphasized that this concerns the revision of the management regime of heritage sites. According to him, the state is obliged to ensure the openness and proper maintenance of these sites.

"If I understand correctly, Hovhannavank, like many other monuments, is on the government's balance sheet, and a number of churches have been given free use to the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. I think that where there is no spiritual life, but rather intrigues, conspiracies, and fakers, we will return all those monuments to the public," Pashinyan stated.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has not yet officially commented on the statement. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's words have already sparked a discussion about the boundaries between secular authority and church tradition, as well as the possible legal consequences of revising the status of the churches.

As reported, that the Armenian Catholicos stated he is ready to lead the church from prison.

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