Pashinyan urges clergy to demand Catholicos resignation

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has publicly urged clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church to demand the resignation of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, stating that the moral authority of the Church is at stake.

In a Facebook post, Pashinyan called on all devout followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church and loyal clergy to "clearly formulate the demand to vacate the Mother See" and to speak out about it.

"The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the epicenter of our national morality. When this epicenter is under the leadership of individuals who have broken their vows before God, are morally depraved, and whose conduct is unacceptable even to secular people, it means our morality is in question," he wrote.

Pashinyan emphasized his own deep connection to the Church, saying, "I am a faithful follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church who holds every stone of our churches dear, who listens to the holy liturgy with a beating heart, kneels daily before God, prays, and periodically observes fasting and restraint."

He continued, "We cannot allow the decay of our moral epicenter to continue. This Easter, every devout citizen and pious clergyman must distance themselves from the immoral and oath-breaking behavior of certain high-ranking clergy, and restore the moral imperative at the Mother See as defined by the Church's Constitution. There is no alternative."

"I urge Ktrij Nersisyan to leave the Mother See immediately," Pashinyan added.

He concluded by calling on all faithful members and clergy loyal to the Church's values to demand that Ktrij Nersisyan vacate the Mother See and publicly express this demand. "The Mother See must be dignified," he said.

Pashinyan also stated that active steps are needed to free the administrative center of the Holy See and organize new elections for the Catholicos. He announced the formation of a Coordinating Group to manage this agenda and noted that he would personally take responsibility for selecting the first ten members of this group.