Artur Vanetsyan: Armenian leadership seeks to undermine church for political control

Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsyan has weighed in on the Armenian leadership’s ongoing campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church in an interview with Hraparak.

Hraparak: Mr. Vanetsyan, while many agree that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church and Catholicos Karekin II have crossed a red line, neither the church nor its defenders have clearly explained why the public shouldn't speak about problems within the church and take steps to address them if necessary. You’ve also stated during a national television appearance that these matters should not be subjects of public debate. Could you elaborate on the reasons?

Artur Vanetsyan: Yes, I also refrained from publicly discussing personal matters concerning the Catholicos or other top clergymen out of legal, moral, religious and ethical considerations. However, since there are lingering questions, I will briefly address them.

First and foremost, the issues being raised by Nikol Pashinyan are not subject to discussion from a religious standpoint. The church has its own procedures and internal mechanisms for addressing issues at various levels. Matters of national importance are handled through the National Ecclesiastical Assembly.

Moreover, such discussions violate Article 34 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy and personal data protection. Collecting alleged information about clergy or any individual through various means and publicly discussing or disseminating it – particularly when unrelated to criminal activity – amounts to a constitutional violation.

The head of state’s interference in church affairs, including public calls for the removal of the Catholicos and efforts to influence church leadership elections, is a blatant breach of the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.

Those promoting this “debate” about the Armenian Apostolic Church have no legal or moral right to do so. They are officials of a government that has surrendered Artsakh, made territorial concessions to Azerbaijan and is now advancing agendas hostile to the people and state. Moreover, public statements by government officials must not be vulgar or irresponsible, as is the case with Nikol Pashinyan and his allies.

Hraparak: But Pashinyan and his teammates insist they’re merely speaking out as concerned members of the church.

Artur Vanetsyan: That argument does not withstand scrutiny. Nikol Pashinyan cannot credibly position himself as a devout follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He doesn’t even attend the Holy Easter Liturgy. On Christmas, he publicly cooks scrambled eggs with sausage. He has no real connection to the church and is merely exploiting the issue for political gain.

It’s increasingly evident that Nikol Pashinyan's real target is the Armenian Apostolic Church itself. He seeks to undermine one of the nation’s most respected institutions in line with the hostile neighboring country’s demands. The ultimate goal is to further divide the society, making it more susceptible to manipulation by the authorities.

Engaging in these debate would only help advance Nikol Pashinyan’s yet another destructive agenda.