Pashinyan calls on Armenian Church to reform and replace Catholicos

Catholicos Garegin and Nikol Pashinyan. Photo: pastinfo

On April 21, 2026, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) needs reform and should be subject to tax obligations, while presenting the election program of the Civil Contract party, Armenia Today reports.

Pashinyan said that “the AAC is separate from the state – but it cannot be outside the state and cannot be a state within a state,” adding that the Church “is involved in politics and has ceased to confine itself to spiritual preaching.”

He stressed that the AAC must operate within the law, including participation in the declaration system and fulfillment of tax obligations, noting: “We will return 100% of the taxes paid – and provide additional funding.”

The prime minister also sharply criticized the Church leadership, saying: “The Church is the people, not Ktrich Nersisyan,” and “no Catholicos has ever been the Church.” He further stated that “the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is infected.”

Pashinyan presented a “roadmap” for reforms, stressing that “reform of the AAC is a vital step.” The plan provides for replacing the Church leadership, adopting a new statute with mechanisms for financial transparency, and holding elections for Catholicos.

He also called on citizens to give their assessment of these issues in the elections, saying that “the voice of God must be expressed through the people.”

Etchmiadzin, in turn, criticized the authorities’ initiatives, saying state interference in Church affairs is unacceptable.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the authorities had banned the Armenian Church from ministry in prisons and penal colonies.

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