Armenian lawyer calls dissolution of military chaplaincy unlawful

The Armenian Defense Ministry’s decision to dissolve the Armenian Apostolic Church’s spiritual leadership within the armed forces has drawn sharp criticism from legal experts, who say the move violates the law and targets the national church.

Defense Minister Suren Papikyan signed an order on January 29 revoking a 2000 directive that regulated the Armenian Apostolic Church’s spiritual service in the armed forces, effectively ending the church’s organized chaplaincy system in military units.

Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan said the decision breaches Article 10 of the law governing relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Church, which guarantees the church’s right to maintain permanent spiritual representatives in military units.

“The minister acted unilaterally and in violation of the law,” Zohrabyan wrote on Facebook. “The spiritual service could only be dissolved with the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians and a corresponding order by the defense minister, which did not happen.”

The military chaplaincy was established in 1997 by then Catholicos Karekin I and then Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan. Its charter was formally approved in 2000 by both the church and the Defense Ministry. The service aimed to provide spiritual guidance, Christian moral education and patriotic upbringing for military personnel.

At its peak, the chaplaincy included 42 clergy members – priests, deacons, and a senior archimandrite. Under the new order, only eight clergy serving as conscripts will remain in the armed forces, working under the military’s moral and psychological support department. The remaining 34 clerics will no longer serve in military units.

Zohrabyan stated the move followed the refusal of military chaplains to comply with the Defense Ministry’s demands to join Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s anti-church campaign.

Beyond legal issues, Zohrabyan warned of serious moral and psychological consequences for the armed forces. He accused the Armenian leadership of deliberately targeting the national church and interfering in its internal affairs.

“A truly Christian soldier does not abandon his comrades, does not flee out of fear and is ready to sacrifice himself for God and his homeland,” he stressed. “Undermining this foundation causes serious harm to the nation.”