Pashinyan vows legal steps to remove Catholicos
“There is no church-state conflict. There is a person who has usurped authority in the church. Under no circumstances can he remain in that position. We will use all legally permissible means to remove him from the place he does not deserve,” Pashinyan told reporters following a cabinet meeting, as reported by Panorama.am .
Responding to remarks that Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had stated at the Council of Europe that “clergymen in Armenia have called for the killing of democratically elected leaders,” despite no court rulings yet, Pashinyan asserted that “there are facts.”
When asked how to interpret the contradiction that while the Catholicos can defrock clergy but government figures continue to recognize them, and whether the same logic could apply to rejecting the legitimacy of the prime minister, Pashinyan replied:
“Let them try. We have received the legitimate mandate from the people to exercise this authority,” he said.
Prime Minister Pashinyan and several bishops and archbishops who are calling for the resignation of the Catholicos have issued a joint statement urging support for reforming the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pashinyan read the statement during a Facebook livestream, after which it was signed by the supporting clergy.
Pashinyan also announced the creation of a coordinating council tasked with organizing reforms in the Armenian Apostolic Church. The council’s membership can only be expanded through a unanimous decision.
