Pashinian has been pressuring Garegin to resign, saying that the latter had fathered a child in breach of his vows of celibacy. His detractors say that he is simply trying to please Azerbaijan and/or neutralize a key source of opposition to his unilateral concessions to Armenia’s arch-foe.
In a weekend appeal to his supporters, Pashinian pledged to “free” the Echmiadzin seat of the Catholicos, which is part of the town of Vagharshapat, from Garegin.
“We will do this together. Be ready,” he wrote on Facebook.
In a follow-up post, Pashinian said they should specifically gear up for a rally in Vagharshapat’s central square adjacent to the church’s Mother See. He did not give a date for the gathering. Citing unnamed government sources, the newspaper Hraparak said that it is planned for Tuesday.
Garegin’s office responded by condemning Pashinian’s appeals as an “attempt to incite attacks and violence.”
“We urge the ruling political force to stop the illegal anti-church campaign and to engage in overcoming the serious problems facing the country,” read a statement released by the Mother See. “At the same time, we appeal to relevant state bodies and officials to take all necessary and legal measures to prevent this illegal event.”
People attend a liturgy at the Echmiadzin cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church, July 2, 2025.
Armenian opposition groups and prominent public figures critical of the government condemned Pashinian’s declared plans in even stronger terms. They also urged their supporters to be ready to rush to Echmiadzin and protect the supreme head of the Armenian Church.
While saying that it appreciates their “zeal to protect the spiritual center of all Armenians,” the church did not explicitly call for preparations for such action. Its statement said: “We call on our people not to give in to provocations of the authorities, to remain vigilant and prudent, and to unite with faith and a spirit of prayer to face the current trials.”
Pashinian already threatened on June 26 to forcibly remove Garegin from Echmiadzin if the Catholicos continues to ignore his demands. Security forces raided the Mother See the next morning in a bid to arrest Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, a vocal critic of the prime minister. But they failed to do that after meeting with fierce resistance from hundreds of angry priests and laymen.
Ajapahian surrendered to investigators several hours after the unprecedented raid. He was charged with calling for a violent regime change, an accusation he and other critics of Pashinian reject as politically motivated.
Earlier this month, the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed serious concern at Pashinian’s campaign. The Switzerland-based organization uniting 352 Orthodox and Protestant churches from around the world called on the Armenian government to “refrain from actions or statements” undermining “the principles of religious freedom, due process, and the peaceful exercise of faith.”
