Inadmissible Attention of Catholicos Aram I Towards Prime Minister Pashinyan, Says ARF

The Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has deemed the attention shown by the Catholicos of Cilicia, Aram I, towards Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan—who is seen as the initiator of a campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church—as unacceptable.

“The ARF Bureau absolutely rejects the idea of granting special attention by the Catholicos of Cilicia, His Holiness Aram I, to the individual responsible for all this, which has justifiably sparked a vigorous backlash from the Armenian community in the Diaspora and the Homeland,” the Bureau’s statement reads.

The ARF regards the events taking place in Armenia not only as an attack on the church but also as an assault on the “identity of the Armenian people.” The organization emphasized that this should not be perceived as a typical conflict between church and state.

The ARF has called for the Catholicosates of Ejmiatsin and Cilicia to unite their efforts to protect the Armenian Apostolic Church as an “exclusive national value” and highlighted the necessity of public support. “Our appeal is for the two catholicoses of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church to work closely together, supported by the unwavering backing of our people, in order to defend the Armenian Church against all destructive internal and external incursions that undermine and degrade the identity of the Armenian people,” the statement asserts.

On October 16, the press service of the Cilician Catholicosate circulated a message regarding the visit of Archbishop Shahen Sarkissian to Armenia. According to the announcement, during his meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan, the relations between the church and the state were discussed. In particular, on behalf of Aram I, Sarkissian expressed concerns about the current situation and emphasized the importance of cooperation between the church and the state.

The government’s announcement did not mention that Archbishop Shahen talked to Pashinyan about the situation surrounding the Armenian Church; it noted that he presented a volume from Aram I and conveyed the Catholicos's warm regards and blessings to Pashinyan. Following this announcement, criticisms began to surface on social media.

Narek Karapetyan, the coordinator of the “In Our Way” movement, urged that Sarkissian's meeting with Pashinyan not be interpreted “in any other way,” elaborating that Catholicos Aram I had informed him during their conversation that he would negotiate with Pashinyan to address the pressures unleashed against the Armenian Church.