Preserve the national, do not sacrifice spiritual Armenia, remove the traitors and the regime’s antichrists
17.12
2025
A public statement by ten diocesan bishops, calling on people to gather at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on Dec. 18 to demand the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians, has recently gained widespread attention.
We strongly condemn this action, viewing it as a provocative, anti-state, anti-national, and destabilizing move against the Armenian Apostolic Church—just as the current anti-national regime has acted toward Armenia’s constitutional institutions and the Armenian people’s national-spiritual institutions since the very first day it assumed power.
The Armenian Church has a constitutionally protected special status (Article 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia), and organized political pressure against it contradicts both the spirit and purpose of the Constitution. The Armenian state recognizes the Armenian Apostolic Church’s unique mission in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of national culture, and in the preservation of national identity. Moreover, Article 18 of the Constitution establishes the special nature of the relationship between the Church and the State, excluding the interference by state or political authorities in the internal governance of the Church.
The election of the Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as any potential resignation, is a matter of ecclesiastical authority alone, not the subject of political street demands. The Catholicos of All Armenians is elected by the National Ecclesiastical Assembly, and his tenure can only be terminated in accordance with the same ecclesiastical regulations and canonical procedures. No “street action,” rally, or external pressure has any canonical right to influence the highest authority of the Church.
Calls by the current regime to exert pressure on the Armenian Church pose a threat to public order and national security, as they target one of the foundational pillars of the Armenian people’s identity and represent the continuation of a dangerous scenario aimed at undermining the national-spiritual identity.
We call on our compatriots to:
- refrain from participating in this anti-national gathering;
- resist provocations and the logic of political vendettas;
- ensure that the Armenian Apostolic Church is not turned into a tool for domestic political struggle.
The unity of the Armenian people, its statehood, and spiritual security are above any political interest. The Church cannot and must not become a victim of street pressure or governmental arbitrariness.
Stay strong!
