Church mission endangered by state control, warns cleric

PanARMENIAN.Net - In a Facebook post, Fr. Zareh Ashuryan expressed concern that some monasteries and churches in Armenia are still under the government’s balance sheet—a legacy from the Soviet era—saying this endangers their intended spiritual mission.

He emphasized that many religious sites were destroyed or repurposed during the Soviet period, and that 161 monasteries and churches in Artsakh have fallen under enemy control, with some already demolished.

“Due to the Armenian Genocide, many monasteries and churches were destroyed or confiscated. In Soviet Armenia, only a few remained functional, while others were demolished or turned into warehouses. Today, some of Armenia’s remaining churches still fall under government control due to inertia from that era,” he wrote.

During a Q&A session in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acknowledged that Hovhannavank and many other monuments are on the government’s balance sheet. He noted that numerous churches are granted free use to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pashinyan added, “Where there is no spiritual life, there are intrigues, conspiracies, and fake networks. There are all legal and moral grounds to return these monuments to the public. We will support Father Aram and priests like him in restoring real spiritual life in Armenia.”

On October 21, under a directive from the Catholicos of All Armenians, Father Aram Asatryan was defrocked, and is now considered a layperson under the name Stepan Asatryan.