Panarmenian.net

Edmon Marukyan, leader of the Bright Armenia party and Armenia’s former ambassador-at-large, has called on Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II to defrock Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, head of the Ararat Diocese, who has long been at the center of public scandals.

Speaking on Facebook Live, Marukyan claimed that such a move would place Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his allies in an awkward position, as they would then be compelled to defend the disgraced cleric.

“There’s no need to focus on the other bishops who signed the joint statement calling on the Catholicos to resign. The spotlight should be on Kchoyan, who is better known to the public and whose leadership of the church’s largest diocese has always raised questions,” said Marukyan.

“By defrocking Kchoyan, you will place Pashinyan and his team in a ridiculous position, where they will have to defend him, revealing that their actions have nothing to do with church purification. Frankly, I believe Kchoyan should have been defrocked long ago, or at the very least, not have led the Ararat Diocese for years without public support.”

Marukyan added that Kchoyan had not distinguished himself in recent years amid national crises, except through scandals involving diamonds, offshore accounts, weapons, and a Bentley. “Please, defrock Navasard Kchoyan so we can see how the so-called church reformers in the ruling party rely on and defend a clergyman with such a reputation,” he concluded.

A group of senior bishops in the Armenian Apostolic Church recently accused Catholicos Karekin II of covering up a scandal involving Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan. They also claimed the Catholicos had violated his oath of office. Prime Minister Pashinyan met with the dissident clergy and supported their stance. On November 29, they issued another statement demanding that the Catholicos resign.