Father Gabriel Vardanyan expressed his belief that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan knowingly made the controversial statement that “churches are like storerooms,” intending to discredit the Armenian Church.

He argued that Pashinyan’s governance has led Armenians to face existential threats.

“When Nikol Pashinyan claimed that ‘churches are like storerooms,’ he did so deliberately—not only to discredit a centuries-old spiritual institution and the historical and spiritual memory of the Armenian people, but also to insult the dignity and faith of millions of Armenians. Clearly, his intention was to incite national discord.

Today, due to his leadership, Armenians face existential threats: Artsakh has been surrendered at his hand, territorial integrity is under threat, values are being distorted, and cultural monuments in Artsakh are being destroyed. He continues his profession of devaluation,” Vardanyan wrote.

He stressed that the Prime Minister’s words carry direct consequences, not mere opinions. “His remarks support anti-church rhetoric aimed at undermining the only national-spiritual pillar of our identity,” he concluded.

In response to criticism from clergy over his statement equating churches to storerooms during a Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a series of offensive Facebook posts targeting clergymen. His wife, Anna Hakobyan, echoed the tone in her own posts..