Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has invited bishops who joined Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Church Reform Council to participate in the upcoming Synod of Bishops scheduled for February 16–19 in Sankt Pölten, Austria.
In response, the clergy aligned with Pashinyan issued a statement urging the cancellation of the decision to hold the synod abroad. They also called for “realistic ways to end the destructive confrontation between the church leadership and the state.”
The statement reads: “The current Supreme Spiritual Council is illegitimate, as it was elected by the ecclesiastical representative assembly in 2017 for a four-year term that ended in 2021. Since then, appointments and removals have been made arbitrarily by the individual occupying the Catholicos’ throne. Therefore, the council’s decisions are not canonical.”
It emphasized that the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians is the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, which is the recognized spiritual center of the Armenian Church, accepted by the global Christian community and the church’s sees. All bishops were ordained there. The decision to hold the synod abroad lacks justification and undermines the authority of Etchmiadzin and Armenian statehood.
According to the statement, the Mother See has remained silent on concerns raised by the Coordinating Council and clergy who support reform—regarding problematic actions by the Church’s de facto leader and other high-ranking clergymen. No canonical processes, meetings, or discussions have been organized to address these issues or include them in the synod’s agenda. Bishops were not briefed in advance.
Questions repeatedly raised by the Prime Minister, other officials, specialists, and believers about the Armenian Church have gone unanswered. Notably, serious accusations against the Catholicos have not received any response, nor has his meeting request with the Prime Minister been acknowledged.
For these reasons and due to lack of preparation, the synod in its current form is deemed unjustified and unacceptable. “Prejudiced decisions made under these conditions by such a disruptive gathering would not be canonical,” they state, adding that none of the high-ranking clergy involved in the Reform Council will participate in the Austria synod.
The Council issued the following appeals:
a. Demand the cancellation of the decision to hold the synod abroad, which may lead to division;
b. Take practical steps to overcome deepening tensions between church and state leadership;
c. Unite efforts to implement long-awaited reforms in the Church;
d. Urge all bishops to abstain from attending, as the initiative contradicts Etchmiadzin’s traditions and church unity;
e. Resist moral and psychological pressure and reject provocations by groups serving foreign or anti-national interests;
f. Uphold sanctified order and stay true to the mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and Christ’s teachings.
“This situation results from unaccountable, flawed governance devoid of canonical foundations, ongoing resistance to reform, and suppression of voices of truth. Do not look elsewhere for blame.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and bishops calling for the Catholicos’s resignation issued a statement urging support for reforming the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pashinyan read the statement live on Facebook, after which the bishops signed it. A Coordinating Council was formed to lead church reform, requiring unanimous agreement for membership.
*The Church Reform Roadmap was also published, including:
- publicizing the reform agenda
- removing the de facto church leader
- electing a Locum Tenens (acting Catholicos)
- adopting a new church charter
- electing a new Catholicos of All Armenians.*
