Pashinyan: Armenian Church head poses a "threat to national security"

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Photo: Anadolu Ajansı

On December 3, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians represents a "threat to national security" of the country, reports the Turkish state agency Anadolu Ajansı.

Pashinyan confirmed that he is seeking the resignation of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, stating: "Ktrich Nersisyan must leave. There is no alternative." According to him, the Catholicos causes serious harm to the Church and the state, and keeping him in office is "impossible in the interests of the country".

Answering journalists' questions, the Prime Minister noted that he would not accept a church leader under external influence: "I do not need a Catholicos who obeys the Prime Minister, but a head of the Church who may be under the influence of external structures is also unacceptable." He also explained the visits of the Armenian National Security Service employees to priests who were required not to mention the Catholicos' name during liturgies with the Prime Minister's participation.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has already stated that Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians  does not intend to leave the throne, despite pressure from a group of bishops and public statements by Prime Minister Pashinyan. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin noted that the voluntary departure of the Primate would be equivalent to "desertion", as the Catholicos is elected for life by the National Church Assembly and cannot leave the post at the request of individual groups.

The confrontation began back in 2020 when Etchmiadzin called for Pashinyan's resignation due to his policy on Karabakh. Now the Prime Minister is effectively openly campaigning for the removal of Catholicos Karekin II, despite the Catholicos' lifelong status and the traditional autonomy of the AAC.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Pashinyan stated that the Catholicos of All Armenians was defrocked.

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