Catholicos of All Armenians will not resign, says Armenian Church’s Press Office

Catholicos Garegin. Photo: verelq.am

On December 1, 2025, the press office of the Armenian Church announced that Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II does not intend to leave the throne despite pressure from a group of bishops and remarks made by Armenia’s prime minister.

At a press conference, Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, head of the administrative office of the Armenian Church, stated that he sees “no grounds whatsoever for the Catholicos of All Armenians to renounce the throne.”

“He cannot leave simply because certain circles, including dubious ones, are pushing such an agenda. He cannot leave even when ten bishops come forward with this demand,” Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan said.

The statement came in response to an appeal by ten senior hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church calling on the Catholicos to voluntarily step down.

Last week, this group met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has long insisted on the need for “renewing the Church system” and replacing the Primate. The prime minister has also claimed that Catholicos Garegin allegedly violated his vow of celibacy and has a child.

In their published appeal, the bishops stated: “We expect that Garegin II, for the sake of love for our Church and our people, will soberly evaluate the situation, refrain from bringing unnecessary upheaval upon our nation and Church, and voluntarily retire. Only then will it be possible to organize new elections.”

Archbishop Khachatryan emphasized that the Catholicos is elected by the National Ecclesiastical Assembly, not by demands of individual groups. Therefore, stepping down voluntarily, he said, would amount to “desertion.”

“I am certain the Catholicos will not make such a decision – he cannot act this way. He has an exceptionally deep awareness of his belonging to the Church,” the Church representative noted.

Earlier, UOJ reported that the Armenian authorities announced plans to confiscate the Hovhannavank Monastery from the Church.

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