June 3, 2025 - 13:32 AMT
No one ever won war against the church: political analyst

Political analyst Stepan Danielyan, commenting on recent developments surrounding the Church, stated that "even a powerful machine like the Soviet Union could not defeat the Church."

“No one has ever succeeded in declaring war on any church or religious organization.

Even the French Revolution backed down; even a massive structure like the Soviet Union failed to do so. So there is no way that a being of zero value and utmost insignificance can manage it.

This is not a matter of individuals or their private lives — it is a much deeper struggle,” he wrote.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently drew criticism from clerics after comparing churches to storage sheds during a government meeting. In response to their criticism, he made offensive remarks on Facebook targeting church leaders, joined by his wife Anna Hakobyan. Pashinyan also stated that the state should play a key role in the election of the Catholicos of All Armenians. In another post, he questioned the celibacy of Catholicos Garegin II, claiming that if he had a child, he could not serve as a celibate priest.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin responded that such condemnable actions serve anti-Armenian foreign interests and align with Azerbaijani propaganda aimed at defaming the Armenian people and the Church.