A mass was held at the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin on July 1 by His Grace Bishop Grigor Khachatryan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of France, for peace in the homeland, the release of captives, and comfort for the distressed, according to the Information Department of the Mother See.

In his sermon, Bishop Grigor stated: “Every Armenian familiar with the history of their country and Church can confidently say where they come from and where they are going. But someone who only knows fragments of this history has no future. One must know the past to build the future and recognize past mistakes to avoid repeating them.” He continued, “Where are we today as a nation? We seem to be in a state of collective amnesia—unaware of where we came from, how we arrived on this blessed land, or where we are headed.” He urged believers to walk a path grounded in national consciousness.

During the Divine Liturgy, as the hymn “Lord, have mercy” was sung, clergy and faithful together prayed for “the unjustly imprisoned Archbishops Mikael and Bagrat, philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, all those suffering, and those held captive, as well as for peace and prosperity in the homeland.”

On the morning of June 25, law enforcement began searches at the residences of members of the Sacred Struggle movement. The Investigative Committee announced that participants and leaders of the movement allegedly “planned to carry out terrorist acts and seize power in the Republic of Armenia.” Later, it was reported that movement leader Archbishop Bagrat was detained for two months, along with 14 others.

On June 27, around 30 masked individuals stormed the Shirak Diocese residence. Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan was at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for a scheduled clergy assembly. The National Security Service entered the Etchmiadzin premises to arrest him. He later surrendered to the Investigative Committee and was remanded in custody for two months by court order. Archbishop Mikael faces charges of publicly calling for the overthrow of constitutional order, seizure of power, violation of territorial integrity, and renunciation of sovereignty.