AAC Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Russian and New Nakhichevan  Dioceses of demand end to the judicial prosecution of Catholicos of  All Armenians

ArmInfo. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Russian and New Nakhichevan Dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church demanded that the Armenian authorities end the judicial prosecution of Catholicos of All  Armenians Karekin II and members of the Supreme Spiritual Council.

A statement released by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem noted  that the trial scheduled for August 7, 2026, against the Catholicos  of All Armenians and six members of the Supreme Spiritual Council is  an unprecedented, deeply disturbing, and unacceptable event in the  history of the Armenian national church.  "The Armenian Apostolic  Church (AAC) is not an ordinary public organization. For centuries,  it has been one of the foundations of the spiritual life of the  Armenian people, their national identity, culture, historical memory,  and statehood. Interference by state bodies in the Church's internal  canonical, administrative, and disciplinary matters contradicts the  principle of its autonomy and creates a dangerous precedent in  relations between the state and the Church. It is even more  unacceptable that the Catholicos of All Armenians, the spiritual head  of the AAC, and high-ranking church figures who are members of the  Supreme Spiritual Council, have become the subject of the lawsuit,"  the statement reads.

This situation, as the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem noted,  cannot be perceived as a purely legal procedure when it is taking  place in an atmosphere of ongoing pressure on the Church, public  insults, attempts to disrupt the hierarchical order, and undermine  the authority of the spiritual authority. Of particular concern,  according to the source, is the dangerous precedent created by  forcing the Catholicos of All Armenians to appear in court. "The  Catholicos of All Armenians is not simply the head of a religious  organization operating in Armenia. He is the pan-ecclesiastical  spiritual head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, whose pastoral  mission and hierarchical authority extend to Armenians throughout the  world, to the hierarchical sees of the Armenian Church and its  dioceses," the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem emphasized.

They expressed their conviction that the attitude of the Armenian  state authorities toward the person and status of the Catholicos of  All Armenians will inevitably impact the position of other  hierarchical sees of the Armenian Church and their spiritual leaders.  In this regard, they emphasized that the Armenian authorities must  recognize that their attitude toward the Catholicos of All Armenians  is not merely a matter of domestic policy. "This is a nationwide and  church-wide problem with international repercussions that could  weaken the moral and legal standing of all hierarchical sees of the  Armenian Church worldwide.  Consequently, such actions threaten not  only the authority of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, but also  the free functioning of the Catholicosate of the Great House of the  Patriarchates of Cilicia, Jerusalem, and Constantinople, as well as  the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church worldwide. In this  regard, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem strongly condemns any  attempts to resolve internal church issues through criminal  prosecution and judicial pressure and demands an end to the judicial  prosecution of the Catholicos of All Armenians and members of the  Supreme Spiritual Council, which creates the impression of political  influence and selective justice," the statement reads.

In connection with the above, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem  appealed to the competent authorities of Armenia to respect the  freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution, the autonomy of  the Armenian Apostolic Church, its internal canonical order and  hierarchical dignity, and to refrain from steps that could deepen the  national schism and cause irreparable damage to relations between the  Armenian Church and the state. "The judiciary is obligated to act  solely on the basis of the principles of legality, justice,  impartiality, and independence, without political pressure, selective  treatment, or any goal of silencing the Church. The Armenian  Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its unconditional support for His  Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians, the Mother  See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the members of the Supreme Spiritual  Council, and all clergy who have been subjected to judicial  prosecution.  We appeal to all the children of our people, to the  governmental and public circles of Armenia, as well as to the  national-ecclesiastical structures of the Diaspora, calling on them  to stand up for the freedom, unity, autonomy, and dignity of the  Armenian Church. Diminishing the hierarchical authority of the  Catholicos of All Armenians is a blow to the integral structure of  the Armenian Apostolic Church. And any blow directed against the  Armenian Church is a blow to the spiritual unity of the entire  Armenian people, their national identity, and the foundations of  statehood." - the statement says.

The Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic  Church, for its part, stated that this day will go down in history as  a day of shame and betrayal. "August 7 will go down in the history of  the Armenian people as a day of shame and betrayal. This is not a  trial-it is an unprecedented act of moral terror against their own  people, who have a 1,700-year Christian history, carried out by the  current authorities. This is a crime against national identity,  since, through the popularly elected Primate and clergy, the Armenian  people are being judged, the Constitution of Armenia, as well as  international norms guaranteeing freedom of conscience and religion,  are being trampled upon," the diocese stated.

They noted that "this reprisal" demonstrates the openly anti-church  and anti-state stance of the Armenian authorities. "Therefore, today,  when state instruments are used as a punitive tool against the clergy  and dissent, when the authorities shape public opinion through  labels, lies, slander, and intimidation, every Christian patriot must  be on the front lines of the fight against injustice and  lawlessness-in the name of preserving our identity, sacred sites, and  dignity.

By God's will, these difficult days will surely pass. Truth and  justice will prevail, for the legally untenable cases, tailored to  the orders of the God-fighting authorities, will ultimately be  exposed and crumble to dust, and Holy Etchmiadzin, as an impregnable  stronghold, will forever remain standing thanks to its faithful  children. The time has come to stop and come to our senses, for there  is only one Judge for all-God," the diocese concluded. As a reminder,  since May 2025, the Armenian authorities have been pursuing an active  anti-church policy and are seeking the resignation of Catholicos of  All Armenians Garegin II, who is elected to this position for life.  This campaign has targeted both clergy and citizens who support the  Church. In February of this year, the Armenian Prosecutor's Office  opened a criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin  II, and he is prohibited from leaving the country. The case is based  on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial decision  related to the defrocking of Arman Saroyan.  Khachatur Galstyan has  been appointed prosecutor in the criminal case. Several other  high-ranking clergy are also involved in the case. The first hearing  in the criminal case against the Catholicos of All Armenians is  scheduled for August 7 at 4:00 PM and will be held in the Armavir  Regional Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by Judge Hakob  Manukyan.