Multiple media reports suggest that military commanders reportedly pressured army chaplains to express support for the Armenian Apostolic Church reform agenda launched by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The Defence Ministry has denied the claims, while the Church confirmed them.
Reports of the pressures began to emerge in the Armenian media on Wednesday.
In one case, PARA TV cited its sources saying that Colonel Levon Davidyan, commander of the special forces, had reportedly promised ‘financial support’ to chaplains in exchange for their joining Pashinyan’s agenda and demanding Catholicos Karekin II’s resignation. The TV channel reported that he had made the offer on ‘behalf of’ the leadership of the Defence Ministry.
‘This does not correspond to reality’, said Defence Ministry spokesperson Aram Torosyan in response to the reports on Wednesday.
The Church reform agenda was officially launched in early January and was signed by Pashinyan and the 10 senior clergy members who had previously called for the resignation of the Catholicos. Following the publication of the statement, more than 20 clergy members reportedly joined the reform agenda.
In turn, Pashinyan urged people to attend liturgies and urged priests to join his efforts to ‘reform’ the Church.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Also on Wednesday, the Armenian Apostolic Church confirmed that it had received information about the pressure on army chaplains, which it condemned as ‘unacceptable’.
‘We believe that the army should have refrained from such repression’, the Mother See said.
Commenting to RFE/RL, Hieromonk Hovhannes Torgomyan said he had personally verified the allegations by contacting clergy serving in the army. He claimed that they had been summoned by the commander and ‘presented with a paper, asking if they are joining the reform agenda’. He further claimed that some commanders even lied to the chaplains pushing them to join the statement by saying that ‘your leader has joined the reformers’.
RFE/RL also cited some priests as claiming that certain chaplains were threatened.
The Defence Ministry denied the threats, but did not rule out discussions with the chaplains.
‘One of the distinctive features of chaplains, and of the spiritual leadership of the Armed Forces in general, is that they can have numerous discussions with the command of the units on various topics, both service-related and non-service-related, given that interpersonal relationships also exist’, Torosyan, told RFE/RL.
The alleged pressure on chaplains is not unprecedented, with reports suggesting that the authorities have used administrative resources to mobilise people amid the ongoing confrontation between the Armenian Church and the government thas intensified since May 2025.
Bishop sues the Church
Separately, amid the ongoing tensions, Bishop Gevorg Saroyan filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Armenian Apostolic Church, Hetq reported.
Saroyan is one of the 10 senior clerics who had signed the Church reform statement and joined the Council of Church reform.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
The lawsuit regards Catholicos Karekin II’s decision to dismiss him from the position of Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese earlier in January.
Saroyan demands to be reinstated to his position as Primate by declaring the recent decree of the Karekin II invalid. No further information on the basis of his demand is yet available.
Karekin II dismissed Saroyan on 10 January, citing his ‘abuse of office, failure to fulfil the duties incumbent upon the Primate, as well as instances of coercion and pressure exercised against the clergy of the diocese’.
Saroyan, the Council of Church reform, and Pashinyan have refused to accept Karekin II’s decision, with Pashinyan claiming that Karekin II was not a legitimate head of the Church, and thus his decisions were not legitimate either.
In a session of the Supreme Spiritual Council held on 13 January, which condemned the authorities’ actions against the Church.
According to the council, the authorities have attempted ‘to draw the Armenian Church into political processes through the creation of artificial agendas, which give rise to new schisms and confrontations in the life of our people’.
