The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has called on Armenian authorities to immediately release detained clergy, a benefactor, and others connected to them, urging the government to act strictly within the law.

“We, the bishops and diocesan leaders serving in Armenia and the Diaspora, gathered at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin under the presidency of Catholicos Karekin II, give glory to God for the opportunity to renew our sacred vow. We reaffirm our unwavering love, loyalty, and complete devotion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Armenian Apostolic Church founded by Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew, and the Christ-established Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin consecrated by Saint Gregory the Illuminator,” the statement reads.

The church expressed deep outrage at a reprehensible campaign instigated by the Armenian authorities and Prime Minister himself against the Armenian Church, its Catholicos, and senior clergy. This, it said, has been accompanied by hate speech, personal insults, and incitement to hostility toward the clergy.

“The anti-church campaign is a disastrous blow to the Armenian people and the state, particularly amid existential threats to national life and Armenia’s sovereignty. Weakening and discrediting the Church only serves anti-Armenian forces,” it continued.

The statement strongly condemned the June 27 raid by security forces at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to arrest Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, describing it as an attempt to use force against clergy and believers, despite Ajapahyan’s readiness to cooperate voluntarily with law enforcement, which he later did.

The Church also criticized the detention of national benefactor Samvel Karapetyan, linking it to his public support for the Church, as well as the arrest of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan under serious charges. These actions, it said, are accompanied by public statements from high-ranking government officials that presume guilt ahead of trial.

Such behavior, the Church warned, violates the presumption of innocence and the principle of separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution, and reveals a politically motivated process whose legality is questionable.

The Church urges the Armenian government to immediately release the detained clergy, the benefactor, and their associates, and to ensure their right to a fair trial under the law.

It firmly rejects any attempt—by the authorities or anyone else—to interfere with the Holy See or church canons. With filial humility, the bishops and diocesan leaders reaffirmed their loyalty to the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II.

The Church, governed by the National Ecclesiastical Assembly, will continue to follow its centuries-old spiritual traditions, resisting external interference. Clergy in Armenia and abroad will go on preaching Christ’s true teaching and educating future generations in spiritual and national values, responding to internal and external challenges with the truth of the Gospel (John 8:32).

The Church calls on all its faithful to remain steadfast in their faith, to defend sacred values, and to avoid division. “We pray that the Heavenly Lord protects Armenia and the Armenian people with justice, prosperity, and peace, and keeps unshaken the Holy Etchmiadzin, the pillar of Armenian identity and statehood, and flourishing the Patriarchal See,” the statement concludes.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on Facebook that "active steps must be taken to free the Catholicosate and organize new Catholicos elections." He added that a Coordinating Committee would be formed to manage this agenda and said he would personally oversee the selection of the first 10 members of that body.