Before a court session, Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan harshly criticized recent events that took place on the grounds of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, calling them a betrayal.

“It was treason, an attack against our faith, nothing else,” Sargsyan told reporters, according to Panorama.am .

On December 18, ten bishops who had previously called on Catholicos Karekin II to step down gathered in Etchmiadzin after meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. They issued a statement and quickly left the premises. At the same time, a religious service was underway inside the Mother Cathedral, with the participation of the Catholicos.

Karekin II later commented: “Another attempt to assault Holy Etchmiadzin occurred today, regrettably also through some of our clergy. But the faithful remain unwavering and fearless. This noise raised within the Church can never derail our mission or our programs aimed at the Church’s glory and the nation’s prosperity.”