Amidst two opposing rallies at Etchmiadzin Cathedral, 10 Armenian bishops have submitted formal requests calling on Catholicos Karekin II to submit his resignation.
The 10 priests submitted their requests to the Secretariat of the Mother See on Thursday. They additionally vowed to return to pray at the church at a later, unspecified time.
They submitted the requests as Karekin II attended a religious service at Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The catholicos called on the 10 priests to ‘return to the canonical path’.
Outside the cathedral, two rallies took place, one organised by those opposed to Karekin II, and another organised by his supporters. According to calculations by the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, the pro-Karekin II rally drew around 2,200 participants, while the one opposed to him was attended by approximately 1,020 people.
The two rallies were split apart by the police, who carried out increased patrols in the area. One side chanted the catholicos’ name, while the other used his civilian name and called for his resignation.
The announcement of the two gatherings came on Wednesday evening, when the 10 senior priests announced they were meeting at the Mother See to demand the resignation of Karekin II as an ‘urgent necessity’.
The group, which has previously met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, published its announcement — as with its other statements critical of the catholicos — in ArmTimes, a media outlet owned by Pashinyan’s family.
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Shortly afterwards, the Diocese of Aragatsotn, which supports the catholicos, altered the time and location of a previously scheduled prayer service, rescheduling it to take place at Etchmiadzin Cathedral to coincide with the gathering of the 10 priests.
Opposition figures have also said they will be present on church grounds ahead of the planned gathering. Among them were Levon Kocharyan, the son of former President Robert Kocharyan and an MP from the opposition Armenia Alliance, as well as Narek Karapetyan, the nephew of detained Russian–Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. The latter also claimed that the government holds compromising material on the 10 priests.
Pashinyan thanks bishops for their ‘courage’
According to Armenpress, Pashinyan expressed his gratitude to the 10 bishops for their ‘courage’ during his Thursday press briefing.
He further claimed that he was not directing the actions of the 10 bishops, but that he welcomed and supported them.
‘The Armenian Apostolic Church must be protected from Ktrich Nersisyan [Karekin II] and other cult members who have seized the Mother See’, Pashinyan said.
During the same press briefing, Pashinyan reiterated his claim that Karekin II and his brother have ties to foreign intelligence services.
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He alleged that Karekin II’s brother, the head of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of New Nakhchivan and Russia, Archbishop Yezras, was recruited by the KGB, the Soviet Union’s intelligence service.
A day after Pashinyan’s remarks, Civic.am, also affiliated with Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party, published what it claimed were declassified documents from the Armenian National Security Service (NSS) allegedly confirming Pashinyan’s claims.
According to the documents, Archbishop Yezras’ cooperation with the KGB took place in 1986–1988.
‘The NSS further stated that, according to available information, Archbishop Yezras Nersisyan currently maintains contact with representatives of foreign states’ special services, which may pose a threat to the security and interests of the Republic of Armenia’, Civic.am reported.
They further quote the NSS as saying that within the scope of the powers, they were taking ‘the necessary measures to eliminate the indicated threats’.
