Analyst warns of efforts to restructure Armenian church

Political analyst Hayk Nahapetyan on Thursday accused the Armenian government of attempting to weaken and restructure the Armenian Apostolic Church, alleging both domestic and foreign interests are driving the effort.

Speaking at a public forum titled “The Authorities’ Assault on Constitutional Freedoms and Our Response”, Nahapetyan said at least three external actors benefit from the Armenian leadership’s anti-church campaign. He urged the creation of a permanent body to coordinate efforts with political parties and civil groups to defend the church independence.

Nahapetyan claimed authorities seek to alter the church’s governance model to resemble Protestant structures in which clergy are elected by congregations. He argued that the goal is to fragment the church, install a loyal church leader and move the seat to Yerevan through cooperation with defrocked clergy.

He further asserted that such changes would undermine the Armenian Diaspora, which he described as a key stakeholder in international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

“By creating an Armenian national church, they intend to place it under the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, as was done in Ukraine,” he said, adding that similar debates have emerged in Georgia, where some clergy participating in recent protests voiced support for aligning their church with Constantinople.