Pashinyan and Rebellious Clergy Versus The Catholicos — By Harut Sassounian
Several critical developments took place last week that further complicated the confrontation between the Armenian Church and the government.
Since June, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sought to depose the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, and replace him with a more compliant clergyman, thereby violating the constitutional separation of Church and State.
Even though Pashinyan’s stated purpose is to cleanse and reform the Church, his real objective is patently political. He wants to neutralize all opposition forces that could be obstacles to his remaining in office after next year’s parliamentary elections.
Whatever Church reforms are necessary, none of them are the Prime Minister’s business. These are internal matters that Church leaders must resolve in accordance with long-standing canonical procedures.
Since Pashinyan has not succeeded in pressuring Karekin II to resign, he has switched to “divide-and-rule” tactics, trying to create a split inside the Church.
The latest crisis erupted recently when a secretly recorded video was made public allegedly showing the Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, in a room with one of his female relatives. Many suspect that the recording was made by the National Security Service. A criminal investigation has been launched against the government for “violating the secrecy of the Archbishop’s private life by using a special technical device intended to secretly collect information.”
After this latest disclosure, the Catholicos appointed a committee of high-ranking clergymen to review the video, the accusations against Archbishop Khachatryan, and make recommendations. On November 25, nine of the 13 committee members signed a statement confirming the authenticity of the video and criticizing the Catholicos for “attempting at all costs to cover up the sacrilegious act of Srpazan Arshak [Khachatryan], thus becoming the sponsor of the sacrilege…. Karekin II was found to be unfaithful to the oath he undertook at his consecration as Catholicos — to lead the Armenian Church faithfully according to doctrine. His behavior is incompatible with the canonical law and doctrine of the Armenian Church.” They added: We “strongly condemn the misguided path taken by Catholicos Karekin II.” This internal Church document was leaked to the public by one of the Committee members and posted on Facebook by Arayik Harutunyan, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff.
Pashinyan, pleased with the Committee members’ statement critical of the Catholicos, invited them to meet with him. Eight of the 13 members of the Committee came to the Prime Minister’s office the same day, on November 27, even though some of the members themselves have had past scandals, both moral and legal. Pashinyan “welcomed the guests and thanked them for their publicly expressed principled position.” Afterward, a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s office reported only what he told the clergymen without mentioning what they said to him. Whether we agree or disagree with the Committee member’s statement, no one could fault them since they are addressing an internal Church matter. However, they made the mistake of leaking their internal report to the public and then meeting with the Prime Minister.
The Supreme Spiritual Council of the Church then issued only an informal statement — since several members were absent due to their meeting with Pashinyan — rejecting the Committee’s accusations against the Catholicos, by describing them as “entirely unfounded and fabricated and that the targeted harassment and formation of prejudiced opinions against His Eminence, the archbishop [Khachatryan], are entirely unacceptable.” The Supreme Spiritual Council urged the Committee members to “return to the canonical framework and express their concerns solely within the Church’s highest governing bodies.”
Regrettably, the series of accusations and counteraccusations did not end there. In a much harsher statement issued on November 29, 10 high-ranking clergymen, including Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western U.S. Diocese, called on Catholicos Karekin II “for the love of our Church and our people…to voluntarily retire, thus making it possible to organize new elections.” This statement was first published by Haykakan Jamanak, newspaper owned by Pashinyan’s family. Excerpts of the above statement were posted on Facebook by Pashinyan’s Chief of Staff, Arayik Harutunyan.
In their Nov. 29 statement, the 10 high-ranking clergymen made several highly critical statements about the Catholicos. They began by questioning the fairness of his election: “All this might not have happened if the 1999 Catholicosate election had been fair, without intimidation.” They then added: The “intensified crisis is a result of the mismanagement of the Armenian Church…. The unjustified, anti-canonical defrocking of numerous devoted clergy has often occurred unjustly by the absolute, unilateral decisions or coercion of the Catholicos. Often, mediocre individuals, those with questionable moral behavior, unworthy people, and henchmen have been preferentially awarded spiritual degrees and appointed to positions. As a result of the Catholicos’ erroneous, arbitrary governance — orders, appointments, unjust punishments, unnecessary interventions, and defrockings — our dioceses and individual pastorates and church units in the Diaspora are often shaken, sometimes having to sever ties with the Mother See…. The current course of the Mother See and the Catholicos of All Armenians is anti-canonical, dangerous, harmful, and destructive and cannot continue any longer.”
In response, various individuals and organizations urged the Catholicos to immediately defrock all the clergymen who called for his resignation.
In the coming days, it remains to be seen what the actions and reactions of the Catholicos, Armenian government, clergy, and Armenians worldwide will be. Should the Catholicos refuse to resign, the Pashinyan government may resort to the unthinkable step of arresting him on trumped-up charges.
