No Authority Can Interfere in the Internal Life of the Church, Says Karekin II

On May 19, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, chaired by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a session of the Supreme Spiritual Council took place.

The agenda included discussions on the upcoming Ecclesiastical-Representative Assembly, external and internal challenges facing the country, anti-Church campaigns, the ongoing legal processes concerning unlawfully imprisoned clergy and other Armenians, guiding principles for the preparation of Sunday school textbooks, as well as issues related to the cessation of spiritual service initiated by state authorities in the Armed Forces and penitentiary institutions.

Within the agenda, the Supreme Spiritual Council also addressed the interim statement published by the PACE pre-election delegation on May 13, expressing concern over the troubling situation created in the country ahead of the parliamentary elections and the condemnable phenomena recorded during the electoral period. The statement emphasized that, "The Supreme Spiritual Council is deeply concerned about the unacceptable methods of campaigning during the pre-election campaign preceding the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia, including the use of repression and unlawful force. The speech of enmity and hatred, as well as the indecent and inappropriate vocabulary, only serve to divide and further polarize our society, leading to unrest, disappointment, and new tensions, while also creating serious threats to the statehood of the Armenians.

"We observe the targeting of the Church and clergy for political gain as unacceptable and condemnable, as well as attempts to artificially draw the Armenian Church into political processes. In this light, the evaluation of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church's 'unprecedented involvement in politics' stated in the interim statement of the PACE pre-election delegation dated May 13 is seen as guided by misinformation and entirely contradictory to PACE Resolution 2633 (2026) dated January 25, 2026.

Instead, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin expects clear assessments from PACE regarding the campaign launched by the authorities against the Armenian Church in violation of national legislative regulations and international law, with the overt use of state mechanisms that continually impose restrictions and obstacles to the Church's religious mission.

Illegal actions such as the coercive influence on clergy through threats, the initiation of unlawful criminal proceedings against several clergy members, encouraging clergy deviating from Church regulations, signing illegal employment contracts with individual priests, and the unacceptable cases of appointing defrocked clergy to spiritual duties under state patronage directly violate both the rights of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and fundamental human freedoms and rights.

We also await a fair response from international relevant bodies and human rights organizations concerning the unlawful actions of the ruling political force, which intervenes in the self-governance of the worldwide Armenian Church, particularly the ambitions stated in the electoral program of the 'Civil Contract' party regarding the 'reformation' of the Church through the deposition of its patriarch, which is also contrary to canon law and illegal.

The Supreme Spiritual Council finds it necessary to reaffirm that any entity outside the Church and ecclesiastical authorities, even if endowed with state and political power, cannot execute the 'reformation' of ecclesiastical life.

The trust bestowed upon us by the people through elections can solely be utilized to strengthen state sovereignty, ensure the inviolability of the country's borders, enhance national identity, and restore public solidarity.

The Armenian state has always been a stronghold of our identity and a bastion of our continuity. Armenian independence should be cherished with prudence, devotion, and diligence, and should never be jeopardized through adventurous actions.

May the Heavenly Lord keep the lands of the Armenians under His eternal blessing, guiding the entire Armenian people only along God-pleasing, nation-building, and beneficial paths.