Politician accuses Pashinyan of attempting to discredit Armenian church

Opposition politician Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the Homeland Party, has strongly criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its top clergy. Speaking in an interview with Public TV Company on Thursday, Vanetsyan claimed that Pashinyan's push to remove Catholicos Karekin II from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin amounts to a constitutional violation.

“Is Nikol Pashinyan a prime minister or a blogger?” Vanetsyan asked. “He posts on social media every day, yet he could have submitted a formal request to the church."

He went on to accuse the prime minister of overstepping his authority, asserting, “Pashinyan has already usurped political power and now he’s trying to usurp the church.”

Vanetsyan insisted that matters relating to the Armenian Apostolic Church should be resolved within the ecclesiastical institution, free from political interference. He condemned Pashinyan's proposal to form a coordinating group to remove Catholicos Karekin II from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, calling it "an attempt to overthrow the constitutional order".

“The anti-church campaign serves one purpose – to discredit it. Sadly, many institutions and public figures have already been discredited in recent years. According to public opinion polls, the church remains one of the most respected institutions in our country. The authorities now seek to undermine its authority so that the church cannot rally the people or express a dissenting voice," the opposition politician argued.

In response to a question from TV host Petros Ghazaryan about whether Catholicos Karekin II, who constantly raises the Artsakh issue, should visit Belarus, a country known for its support of Azerbaijan, Vanetsyan defended the spiritual leader’s decision.

"He is the Catholicos of All Armenians, a spiritual leader. Shouldn’t he visit the faithful people and address church matters? I commend His Holiness for continuing to speak out about Artsakh," he added.