The Supreme Spiritual Council of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, chaired by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, convened an extraordinary session addressing Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent derogatory statements toward clergy.

In its statement, the Council declared that such condemnable actions “serve the interests of foreign anti-Armenian forces,” aligning with Azerbaijani propaganda efforts aimed at slandering the Armenian people and Church.

The Council emphasized that the Prime Minister has launched another campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church, employing “language unbefitting a statesman, marked by insults and accusations,” placing himself above the law.

The statement denounced the Prime Minister’s inflammatory and indecent rhetoric as lacking basic decency, violating fundamental human rights, and deeply offending the religious sentiments of the faithful. It argued that this antagonism toward the Church is politically motivated, aiming to discredit the Church's respected role both domestically and internationally, silence its voice, and reduce its public influence.

The Church warned that such anti-ecclesiastical behavior and initiatives against national values threaten the Armenian state and national unity, both in Armenia and the diaspora. These actions fragment society and weaken patriotic consciousness, especially during a time of national challenges.

The statement reiterated that these efforts reflect foreign agendas hostile to Armenians and are in line with disinformation and slander propagated by Azerbaijani media.

The Armenian Church, aware of its mission, will steadfastly continue its spiritual and national role, resisting destructive agendas and defending sacred values and national interests. Matters of the Church must be resolved in accordance with ecclesiastical regulations and are beyond the jurisdiction of state or political actors.

The Church and its faithful clergy, led by the Catholicos of All Armenians, form an indivisible unity. The statement calls on relevant state authorities to halt what it calls the Prime Minister’s unlawful and shortsighted policy, and warns against dragging the Church into artificial political agendas or provoking retaliatory actions.

Facing this new ordeal, the Church urges its faithful to remain united and devoted to the homeland and the Holy Church, to confront current challenges with strong faith, and to never allow the destabilization of national foundations. The statement ends with a prayer that the Savior Jesus Christ will preserve the nation's life from harmful forces and grant peace, prosperity, and progress to Armenians worldwide. It prays that the Lord keeps the Armenian state and the Armenian Apostolic Church unshaken.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, reacting to clerical criticism following his comparison of churches to “storage rooms” during a cabinet meeting, made offensive remarks targeting the clergy. He posted several Facebook comments, some echoed by his wife, Anna Hakobyan, who called clergy “the nation’s top pedophiles.” Pashinyan also claimed the state should play a key role in electing the Catholicos. In another post, he questioned whether Catholicos Karekin II had violated his vow of celibacy, implying he fathered a child, and declared that such a revelation would disqualify him from his role.