Bishop Gevorg Saroyan dismissed as head of Masis Diocese

By the Patriarchal Decree of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, dated January 10, 2026, His Grace Bishop Gevorg Saroyan has been relieved of his duties as Primate of the Diocese of Masis.

The grounds for the decree were facts of abuse of office, failure to fulfill the duties incumbent upon the primate, as well as instances of coercion and pressure exercised against the clergy of the diocese, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin reported.

By the same decree, Reverend Father Archimandrite Ruben Zargaryan has been appointed Acting Primate of the Masis Diocese.

Bishop Gevorg Saroyan was among the clerics who expressed support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's "church reform" initiative aimed at the removal of Catholicos Karekin II. They have come under strong public criticism and have been branded as "renegade".