Armenian PM Pashinyan challenges Karekin II: contacts with Pray.com in the US
Following the agreement with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, the conflict between Armenia’s political and religious leaders continues in the United States. The Armenian Embassy in Washington announced a meeting with Matthew Potter, co-founder of an Evangelical platform close to the American far right. This is a new attempt by Pashinyan to undermine the historic authority of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Rome (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The internal conflict in Armenia between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the opposition led by the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II, is more intense than ever.
With the signing in Washington in early August of a Trump-brokered peace agreement with Azerbaijan, this conflict is also playing out in the United States, as Pashinyan attempts to counter the opposition (which includes former presidents and several religious leaders, whom the Armenian leader deems unworthy), led to the arrest of bishops and priests.
On 8 September, Armenian Ambassador to the United States Narek Mkrtchyan met with Matthew Potter, cofounder of Pray.com, an Evangelical online platform, ideologically linked to the US far right.
“During the meeting the possibilities of showcasing the rich Christian history and heritage of Armenia on the Pray.cօm platform were discussed,” the embassy announced. Pray.com is an online space for the “Christian community, offering daily prayers, Bible stories, and spiritual podcasts.”
The above may appear to be a diplomatic meeting on how to promote the Armenian identity, inextricably linked to Christianity, since Armenia became Christian in 301 AD. But, as the website 301.am notes, this constitutes in fact yet another attempt by Pashinyan to oppose the Armenian Apostolic Church, under the pretext of “modernization.”
Nikol Pashinyan is reportedly pursuing policies of pacification and alignment with Western positions. The signing of the agreement between Armenia, a former Soviet republic, in August with Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev, who was immortalized with Trump and Pashinyan in the Oval Office, is emblematic of that.
The topic of the deal (still in need of some “fine-tuning”) is the 30-year conflict for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, re-annexed by Baku in a lightning offensive exactly two years ago, on 19 September 2023, after a nine-month blockade. With the deal, the United States has effectively replaced Russia as a mediator.
The plight of the more than 100,000 people displaced from the former Republic of Artsakh was a topic of discussion at the meeting between Catholicos Kerekin II and Pope Leo XIV, who received him in audience.
The outcome of that conflict exacerbated tensions between Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church – Kerekin II called for the prime minister’s resignation after Armenia’s tragic defeat.
This is the context of recent contacts with the management of Pray.com, which presents itself as “the #1 app in the world for daily prayer and Biblical audio content”.
The platform is essentially a Silicon Valley start-up, offering subscriptions of up to $0 a year in exchange for daily “spiritual” content.
Besides the business model, the handling of user data is also causing concern. Millions of accounts are reportedly at the centre of a data leak, so much so that several privacy watchdogs have flagged it as unsafe.
The app has been banned in China for violating religious broadcasting regulations.
Elsewhere, it has been accused of “exporting” a narrow-minded, Americanized Evangelical-Protestant narrative, which marginalizes traditional Churches, such as the Armenian Church.
In fact, the Pashinyan administration is attempting to implement measures aimed at discrediting the Armenian Apostolic Church, stripping it of the authority and influence that are based precisely on the ancient Armenian Christian tradition, a cornerstone of the nation’s identity.
Pashinyan does not shy away from calling religious leaders “corrupt,” while also demanding Kerekin II’s resignation, striking at the very heart of Armenian identity.
A partnership with Pray.com could achieve all these goals, eroding the power of Echmiadzin, the historic see of the Catholicos, and striking at the very heart of Armenian identity.
It is clear, in fact, that “Armenia’s rich history and Christian heritage,” as the Armenian Embassy in the US defines it, is already widely promoted by Armenian monasteries and an unparalleled Christian culture, which has reached every continent through the Armenian Diaspora.
