Opposition MP slams authorities over pressure on Masis Diocese clergymen

An opposition lawmaker has accused the Armenian authorities of intimidation and coercion against clergymen of the Masyatsotn (Masis) Diocese, describing the actions as “nothing short of terrorism”.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Tigran Abrahamyan, secretary of the opposition Pativ Unem faction, claimed that the state apparatus was being used to exert pressure on clerics loyal to Catholicos Karekin II. According to Abrahamyan, the authorities have employed threats, blackmail and hints of possible arrests after failing to achieve their objectives through other means. He described the tactics as “increasingly immoral”.

Abrahamyan's remarks followed a statement from the Masis Diocese, which reported that several diocesan priests had been contacted by individuals seeking to influence them. According to the diocese, those involved included municipal employees and influential figures close to the clergy, who attempted to persuade or pressure priests through friendly appeals, promises of improved service conditions or threats. The goal, the diocese said, was to compel the clergy to align with the dismissed former head of the diocese and recognize his authority.

The diocese also reported incidents in which municipal employees, citing an alleged court order, claimed that priests were required to vacate their churches. These demands were presented as orders from Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, the former diocesan leader. The Masis Diocese stated that all such appeals and pressures were rejected by the clergy.

Saroyan, one of ten senior clergymen who have publicly supported Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s campaign to oust Catholicos Karekin II, was dismissed earlier this month. The decision cited “abuse of office, failure to fulfil duties and instances of coercion and pressure exercised against diocesan clergymen.”