Pashinyan plans public rally in Etchmiadzin to unseat catholicos

By Elen Muradyan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced plans for a mass gathering in Etchmiadzin, the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to unseat Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

“Prepare for the Great Spiritual Gathering at the central square of Etchmiadzin,” Pashinyan wrote on Facebook on Sunday. While he did not specify a date for the event, members of his ruling Civil Contract party have already begun sharing the post, signaling preparations for a large-scale rally.

The move is the latest escalation in a growing confrontation between Pashinyan and the Armenian Church. Pashinyan criticizes Catholicos Karekin II, accusing him of violating monastic vows and referring to him mockingly by his lay name, “Ktrich Nersisyan.”
“It is unfortunate, but logical, when married couples who fail to honor their vows end up divorced. The same should apply to the Church. Ktrich Nersisyan must vacate the Catholicosate,” Pashinyan wrote.

The provocative language and political mobilization against the Church have drawn condemnation from opposition figures and civil society leaders. “The head of the Civil Contract party, who blatantly abuses the position of Prime Minister, is clearly inciting confrontation through his provocative actions and hate-filled rhetoric… Law enforcement and other state bodies must recognize this reality in order not to become accomplices in his illegal actions,” wrote former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan in a Facebook post.

Armenia’s Constitution guarantees the separation of religious institutions from the state and ensures their freedom of activity. Critics argue that Pashinyan’s campaign against the Church violates this foundational principle.

Longstanding tensions

Tensions between Pashinyan and the Church intensified following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, in which Armenia suffered a devastating defeat. The Armenian Apostolic Church was among the few national institutions that publicly called for Pashinyan’s resignation at the time.

The latest rupture became more pronounced in late May 2025, when Catholicos Karekin II traveled to Switzerland to participate in a conference dedicated to the rights of the displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. The event highlighted the plight of thousands of Armenians forcibly displaced from their homeland—an issue the Pashinyan government has conspicuously avoided raising in negotiations with Azerbaijan. 

Now, with the Prime Minister openly seeking the Catholicos’ removal, political observers warn of a deepening rift between state and church at a moment of national uncertainty and geopolitical vulnerability.