Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has again raised the issue of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II’s adherence to the vow of celibacy, calling on him to personally clarify whether he has a child.

Posting on Facebook, Pashinyan wrote: “Karekin II must personally clarify: does he have a child?”

“In my view, the Catholicos of All Armenians is an unquestionable authority, a steadfast defender of justice, and a source of undeniable truth. I cannot believe that the Catholicos could conceal the truth or speak anything other than the truth. Karekin II must personally clarify whether he has broken his vow of celibacy and whether he has a child. We, his flock, have the right to hear the truth from him,” the Prime Minister stated.

This comes after Pashinyan responded to criticism from clerics, which followed his comparison of churches to storage rooms during a government meeting. His remarks were deemed offensive by many church representatives. Pashinyan has made several Facebook posts with inflammatory language directed at the clergy, which his wife Anna Hakobyan also echoed in her posts, including phrases like “the nation’s top pedophiles.”

Pashinyan has also stated that the state must play a key role in the selection of the Catholicos of All Armenians. In a separate post, he questioned whether Garegin II remains eligible for the position if he violated celibacy, stating: “If it turns out that Garegin II indeed broke his vow and has a child, he cannot be the Catholicos of All Armenians, because from the moment this fact existed, he could no longer be a celibate priest.”

In response, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin accused Pashinyan’s statements of serving external anti-Armenian interests, aligning them with Azerbaijani propaganda aimed at defaming the Armenian people and Church.