Pashinyan levels serious accusation against Karekin II: “The Church has been usurped!”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that he has reviewed a report prepared by the government office he heads on the situation within the Armenian Apostolic Church and accused Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II of usurping the Church.

TodayPress TV reports that Pashinyan made the remarks in a video address posted on Facebook.

“The report on the crisis in the Armenian Church was prepared in accordance with the government’s program, which contains relevant provisions, and on my instructions. However, after reviewing the report, I concluded that the actual situation that has developed in the Armenian Apostolic Church is more serious and critical than I had initially imagined.

If we summarize the report in one sentence, it proves that the Church has been usurped by Ktrich Nersisyan (Karekin II’s secular name — ed.) and a group of clergy and laypeople who support him,” Pashinyan said.

It should be noted that earlier, the Information and Public Relations Department of the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia published a 74-page report titled “On the Crisis in the Armenian Church.”

According to the position of the Armenian authorities presented in the document, it argues for the necessity of removing Karekin II from his position as Catholicos of All Armenians and carrying out reforms within the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Aysel Matlab