Armenian Church Leader Faces Criminal Charges Amid Government Dispute

Catholicos Karekin II, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, appeared in a Vagharshapat court on August 7 to face criminal charges regarding the defrocking of a bishop. The prosecution alleges that the church leadership obstructed a civil court order that had previously mandated the reinstatement of Bishop Gevorg Saroyan to his position in the Masis Diocese. If convicted, the Catholicos and six other senior clerics could face up to two years in prison. The initial hearing concluded quickly after the presiding judge recused himself due to a conflict of interest, and the case is currently awaiting reassignment.

The legal proceedings mark a significant escalation in the ongoing tension between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration and the historic church. For the first time since Armenia regained independence, the parliament opened its session without the presence of the Catholicos. Religious freedom advocates and the Armenian Bar Association have expressed concern over the government's intervention, arguing that matters of ecclesiastical discipline and church governance should remain outside the jurisdiction of civil courts.