Pashinian posted on social media on Sunday night a video of him and eight grim-looking renegade bishops signing at his official residence a statement calling for Catholicos Garegin II’s “removal” as part of a “reform” of the ancient church initiated by them. They again accused Garegin of “drawing the church into politics” and “making it serve various agendas and foreign interests.” Their statement also carried the signature of two other senior clergymen who openly joined Pashinian’s campaign against Garegin in late November.
Pashinian signed the statement as “prime minister of Armenia.” He claimed until now that he is pushing for Garegin’s resignation as an ordinary follower of the church.
Armenian opposition leaders presented Pashinian’s signature as documentary evidence of his violation of a constitutional provision that guarantees the church’s independence and separation from the church. Garegin’s office in Echmiadzin echoed the accusations.
“The actions taken by the head of the Armenian government under the pretext of regulating and reforming the internal life of the Church directly violate Armenia’s constitution and the rights of the Church guaranteed both internationally and by Armenian law,” read a statement released by the Mother See.
It also lambasted the pro-government bishops, warning that their “reckless steps” could have “unfortunate consequences.”
Their joint statement with Pashinian did not specify what exactly they will do next in their efforts to force Garegin to resign. The premier said separately that he will attend on Tuesday a Christmas mass at Yerevan’s Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral. He urged supporters to join him in marching through the city center after the liturgy.
Pashinian thus again stopped short of telling them to converge on the main church cathedral in Echmiadzin. The renegade bishops already did that last month in what critics saw as an attempt to occupy the cathedral and Garegin’s residence adjacent to it. The Mother See responded by holding a special prayer service there at the same time.
Thousands of believers, most of them opposition supporters, attended it, greatly outnumbering pro-government demonstrators, including local government officials and ruling party members. Six of the pro-government bishops made a brief appearance outside the cathedral, triggering “Judas!” chants from the pro-Garegin crowd. Plainclothes security guards whisked them away from the scene several minutes later.
Opposition leaders and other government critics portrayed the December 18 events in Echmiadzin as a serious setback for Pashinian. They urged supporters to be ready for more actions in support of Garegin.
In his New Year’s Eve address to the nation broadcast only by pro-opposition TV channels, the Catholicos gave no indications that he will bow to the government pressure and step down.
“A nation is strong and the state unshakable when sacred values, traditions and the heritage of ancestors remain steadfast, when historical memory is preserved, and when the centuries-old mission of our Holy Church is not questioned,” he said. “The divisive actions taken against the Church today, which rightly provoke the indignation of our believing children in the homeland and in the Diaspora, have no justification and will not have a beneficial result.”
