The Council of Armenian Organizations of France has strongly condemned the pressures unleashed against the Armenian Apostolic Church in Armenia, Panorama.am reports.

The statement notes that the escalation has reached a new level with the “illegal and unjust persecution of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II over matters that clearly fall within the exclusive competence of the clergy.”

“This politically motivated campaign targeting the supreme leader of the Armenian Church and its hierarchy is an unacceptable attack on one of the most essential pillars of Armenian national identity. It weakens the entire nation — from the homeland to the diaspora — by creating internal division, which only its adversaries can welcome.

At a time when the Armenian nation faces serious external threats, it cannot afford confrontations of this nature, which are as shameful as they are destructive to its unity and moral strength.

The Council of Armenian Organizations of France calls on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his entire government to restore normalcy and immediately put an end to these pressures, which recall Stalinist practices and the darkest moments of our history.

It demands an immediate review of the unlawful decisions taken against the Catholicos of All Armenians, six members of the Supreme Spiritual Council and his secretary.

The Council of Armenian Organizations of France assures His Holiness Karekin II and the Armenian Apostolic Church of its respect, its full and unwavering support, and its solidarity,” the statement says. It was signed by Mourad Papazian and Ara Toranian.

On February 14, it became known that Armenia’s Prosecutor’s Office had initiated criminal proceedings against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on charges of failing to execute a judicial act in the case of the former head of the Masis Diocese and had banned him from leaving Armenia.