Authorities aim to indict Catholicos Karekin II
Panamanian.net
Ara Zohrabyan, a lawyer and former head of the Armenian Chamber of Advocates, stated that authorities are actively working through various criminal cases to initiate prosecution against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, he told reporters after a court hearing, according to Sputnik Armenia.
“There are multiple ongoing criminal cases aimed at building a scenario that would allow them to launch criminal prosecution against the Catholicos and move forward with it. So far, they’ve failed to find a way to discredit and detain him without triggering a strong public reaction. There have been many attempts, some of which I cannot speak about, but they have not succeeded,” said Zohrabyan.
He believes prosecuting the Catholicos has become a goal for the authorities, but it’s not easy. He also pointed to the lawsuit filed by former bishop Arman Saroyan against the Armenian Apostolic Church as part of this effort. Zohrabyan noted that the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against six bishops and one priest based on a court decision related to Saroyan’s case.
“Arman Saroyan was able to make transfers from bank accounts belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church, even though he currently holds no official position and is no longer a clergyman. If he loses this case, who will bear responsibility for the financial damages? The court has opened a Pandora’s box. This is a historic step because, for centuries, we’ve never had a situation where a court intrudes into the Church’s self-governance and disciplinary domain,” Zohrabyan stated.
Saroyan filed a lawsuit against the Armenian Apostolic Church seeking to annul Catholicos Karekin II’s patriarchal order that removed him from his post as leader of the Masis Diocese and to reinstate him in that position.
The court had earlier issued an interim ruling to reinstate Saroyan as diocesan head until a final verdict is reached.
On January 4, 2026, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and ten bishops calling for the Catholicos’s removal issued a joint declaration announcing the launch of “reforms” in the Armenian Apostolic Church. A “roadmap” was introduced, and a coordinating council was formed to oversee the church reform process.
