Father Sahakyan questions Pashinyan's sobriety

PanARMENIAN.Net - Father Movses Sahakyan, responding to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s offensive remarks about clergy, stated that the Prime Minister's “behavior raises questions about his sobriety.”

“In the past two days, the Prime Minister of Armenia, who represents our state and people, has publicly referred to our churches as ‘storage rooms’ and insulted clergymen with indecent, vulgar, and degrading language. Such conduct, which is clearly inappropriate for a head of state, not only questions his sobriety and sense of responsibility, but also poses a grave threat to national identity, public morality, and the foundations of statehood,” Sahakyan wrote.

He stressed that when clergy are targeted with public humiliation rather than legal proceedings, it becomes a deliberate attempt at division, not criticism. “When the leader of the country uses such language against the Church, he devalues not only himself but his office and the entire state institution.”

“As a dignified citizen of this country and a child of the Armenian Church, I demand that every public official’s words reflect the responsibilities of their position,” he added.

Father Sahakyan emphasized that moral unity and state stability cannot be built on baseless accusations and insults. He noted that while the Church has canonical procedures for clergy misconduct, the state must uphold dignity and respect in political discourse.

“No one is above moral values—not even the head of state. I pray for wisdom for our leaders to distinguish moral responsibility from political exploitation. But if they can’t uphold even the minimum standard of decency, they should step down quietly and not destroy what has been built over millennia,” his post concluded.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had earlier lashed out at the clergy on Facebook, following criticism over his comments comparing churches to “storage rooms” during a government meeting. His posts, joined by similar ones from his wife Anna Hakobyan, included deeply offensive language calling clergy the “country’s chief pedophiles.”