Armenia's ruling elite is convinced that Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II will soon resign. According to local media, he has no choice but to "submit" to the demands of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and the clergy must choose a new head of the Armenian Church.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Yerevan airport yesterday to support the Catholicos of Armenians after his return from the UAE. Addressing the participants of the support rally, Garegin II called for unity and expressed confidence that the church would overcome the difficulties. He also emphasized that the prime minister's statements against the church caused widespread outrage among Armenians around the world.
Recall that Pashinyan earlier called for unity around the demand to replace Catholicos Garegin II. According to the prime minister, he has evidence that the Catholicos violated his vow of celibacy and that he has a child.
Pashinyan also claimed that Russia had ordered the Armenian Apostolic Church to fight the government. According to local publication Hraparak, the Armenian leader claimed that Moscow had instructed the clergy to make anti-government statements.
