Catholicos of All Armenians refused to testify in his criminal case
According to the newspaper "Hraparak," Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II refused to testify to investigators in the criminal case brought against him. Earlier, the Mother See of Etchmiadzin (the spiritual and administrative center of the Armenian Apostolic Church) called the actions of the Investigative Committee a gross and unlawful interference in church affairs with political overtones.
As a reminder, the Armenian Prosecutor's Office recently initiated criminal proceedings against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. He is banned from traveling abroad.
The case was opened on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial decision. The conflict is related to Arman Saroyan, former Bishop of the Masiatsotn Diocese, whom Garegin II removed from office and defrocked on January 10. Saroyan is challenging the decision in court, which has barred any interference with his duties as head of the diocese until a final verdict is reached.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement with ten clergy on reforming the Armenian Apostolic Church, calling for the removal of the current Catholicos and a public announcement of a reform program. The country's leadership has repeatedly pointed out that the Armenian Church's leadership is linked to Russia.
