Armenian PM, bishops announce Church reform
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and 10 bishops and archbishops have announced plans to reform the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The statement, read by Pashinyan in a video posted on Facebook and signed by the participating clergy, establishes a coordinating council to oversee the reform process. The council may expand its membership by unanimous decision, News.Az reports, citing Armenian media.
The leaders called on the clergy and faithful to support the reforms, uniting “for the Church, the Republic of Armenia, and the Armenian people.”
Two key events are scheduled to mark the reform process: the eve service at Saint Sarkis Church on January 5 and the Christmas liturgy at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan on January 6.
The roadmap for reform includes publicly announcing the program, removing the current de facto head of the Church, electing a vicar for the Catholicosate, adopting a Church Charter, and electing the Catholicos of All Armenians.
Tensions between Prime Minister Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church have grown in recent years, with Pashinyan accusing senior clergy of interfering in state affairs and Church leaders criticizing his attempts to centralize control. The dispute intensified after the 2020 Karabakh war.
The current reform effort represents Pashinyan’s most direct attempt to restructure the Church’s leadership, a move critics call highly controversial.
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