‘Suspend service’: Appeal to Catholicos of All Armenians over intimate video allegedly involving archbishop
A special spiritual commission is reviewing an intimate video that allegedly involves Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, head of the office of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). Telegram channels published the video at the end of October, and the scandal surrounding the senior cleric has continued since then. A letter from the commission addressed to the Catholicos of All Armenians leaked to the press and appeared in pro-government Armenian media.
The commission, composed of four archbishops and three bishops, recommended that the Catholicos temporarily suspend Archbishop Khachatryan from all his positions at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. They also advised suspending him from all church duties until the results of an expert review conducted by the Armenian Investigative Committee are released.
They also suggested that the Patriarch determine a different residence for the archbishop outside the Mother See.
The commission submitted these recommendations to Catholicos Karekin II a few days ago following its first meeting. It remains unclear when the proposals will be discussed or when a decision will be made regarding the archbishop’s future spiritual service.
There is also no clarity on how the internal document reached the media. Public debate continues over whether commission members themselves provided it. Senior clerics on the commission have so far not responded to calls or questions from journalists.
Ruling party MP Vaagn Aleksanyan told journalists: “It is clear to me that people who disagree with what is happening in the church face a certain information blockade created by Ktrich Nersisyan [the Catholicos’s secular name]. They want to address issues of transparency, which is why they consider pro-government media more reliable.”
Speaking about this, Aleksanyan refers to the ongoing tension between the authorities and the Catholicos of All Armenians, which has been unfolding for several months. For a long time, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has claimed that the country needs a new spiritual leader. He justifies this by stating that Karekin II has broken his vow of celibacy and has a child. At the same time, the Prime Minister insists that he is not acting against the church. He says he is acting out of a need to “renew the church, the state, and society.”
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has so far chosen not to respond to the media publication of the letter from the members of the spiritual commission. The director of the Mother See’s information system, Esai Artenyan, only stated that they would comment on the matter “if necessary.”
“Respecting the presumption of innocence for Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, we also inform Your Holiness that the video suggests the commission of a serious sin, strictly condemned by Armenian religious assemblies, and it has caused confusion among the faithful,” the letter to Garegin II states.
The clerics stress that during the past two weeks, since the commission’s creation, they tried to schedule an online meeting and also submit their opinion to the Patriarch in writing.
However, various obstacles prevented them from presenting the commission’s position on the matter. The letter does not specify who blocked them.
The commission members report that the Investigative Committee is examining two questions: who recorded the video and who uploaded it online. They emphasize that conducting a video expert review requires a statement from the injured party or the Mother See. Only then “can competent authorities carry out an independent examination of the materials” and issue a final conclusion.
The Catholicos personally established the commission to review and report on the explicit videos allegedly involving Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.
Lawyer: ‘The matter cannot be discussed outside the Church’
When asked whether Archbishop Khachatryan himself had provided explanations to the spiritual commission, his lawyer, Arsen Babayan, said:
“This is an internal Church matter. Accordingly, it cannot be discussed outside the Church. There is neither the right nor the possibility to do so.
He says it would be more appropriate to seek clarifications directly from the clergymen who signed this document. They should explain its content and clarify how it reached pro-government media.
Clergy handle disciplinary issues concerning their fellow clergymen themselves. These matters do not belong in public discussion outside the Church. He says it would be more appropriate to seek clarifications directly from the clergymen who signed this document. They should explain its content and clarify how it reached pro-government media.
Background on the scandalous video
At the end of October, an unknown, newly created Telegram channel published the intimate videos that remain widely discussed today.
Hidden cameras installed in the clergyman’s home — in the living room and the bathroom — recorded the footage.Reports indicated that the video allegedly showed Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan and his uncle’s wife.
Khachatryan responded by saying that the prime minister had “illegally directed attention” toward him. Several months earlier, Nikol Pashinyan posted on social media about a connection between a high-ranking clergyman and his uncle’s wife. He did not mention any names.
The archbishop said he could not seriously engage in “refuting fabrications and slander.”
Meanwhile, deputies from the ruling Civil Contract party claimed that the Mother See itself spread the video. They insist it served as the source of its dissemination.
Human rights defenders condemned the illegal distribution of footage recorded in a citizen’s private space.
The public organization “Union of Informed Citizens” reported the incident to the Prosecutor General’s Office as a case of “gross violation of privacy.” The prosecution referred the report to the Investigative Committee, which opened a criminal investigation.
Authorities opened the case under the article on “violation of the privacy of personal or family life using special technical means intended for covert information collection.” They have not released any additional information.
