Armenian premier could settle church issue by force - expert 

ArmInfo.  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statements regarding Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II constitute state interference in the internal affairs of the Church, and the emphasis on public indifference on  these issues suggests that the government has chosen the path of  pressure. Political scientist Suren Surenyants wrote this on his  Facebook page, commenting on Pashinyan's latest statements regarding  the Catholicos.

The political scientist noted that more than five months after the  start of the anti-Church campaign, Pashinyan is surprised to note  that the Armenian public doesn't care whether the Catholicos has  children.  Surenyants explained that Pashinyan constantly cites  public opinion to justify the process of "spiritual renewal" he is  promoting. "However, the Prime Minister himself now admits that  society is indifferent to the accusations the government is using to  justify its actions against the Armenian Apostolic Church.  Although,  it must be acknowledged, this doesn't actually change the ruling  regime's goals," the expert believes.

According to Sureniants, the Armenian Prime Minister's statements  that "Ktrich Nersisyan" (the Catholicos's secular name - ed.) is not  currently the Catholicos, and that the Armenian Apostolic Church does  not have a Catholicos, raises an important issue. As the political  scientist explained, this raises the question of the extent to which  the head of state has the authority to use his position to collect  information about the personal lives of citizens, especially given  that the government's interest in the clergy's personal lives  contradicts both the law on privacy and the principle of a secular  state. "Pashinyan effectively admits that his anti-church initiative  is not resonating with society. Public indifference indicates that  the Armenian people are not receptive to the themes being imposed  upon them. However, Pashinyan views this not as a public stance, but  as an obstacle that needs to be 'corrected,'" Sureniants points out.

According to him, the Armenian Prime Minister's statement that the  country "has no Catholicos" contradicts Article 17 of the  Constitution of the Republic, which emphasizes that the state is  separate from the Armenian Apostolic Church, meaning the status of  the Catholicos is determined by church rules and that Pashinyan has  absolutely no authority in these matters. "From the Prime Minister's  words, it appears that if society 'does not react,' the authorities  may interpret this as an opportunity to take harsher, more forceful  steps. This could escalate into renewed pressure, the initiation of  new fabricated cases against the clergy, and a new attempt to control  the Armenian Apostolic Church. In other words, Pashinyan's statements  indicate that the policy being pursued toward the Church is not a  public demand, but an unconstitutional agenda shaped by the  authorities," the political scientist emphasized.

As a result, he said, the autonomy of the Church, the stability of  constitutional institutions, and the natural balance between the  state and the Church are at risk.

It's worth noting that on November 6, at a briefing with journalists,  the Prime Minister stated that "the Armenian Apostolic Church today  has no Catholicos." He then expressed surprise that journalists  weren't interested in whether the Catholicos had a child.

As a reminder, the Armenian Prime Minister launched a campaign  against the Armenian Apostolic Church in May, imprisoning anyone who  disagrees with the Church for various serious offenses. As part of  this campaign, the Armenian Prime Minister also supported Stepan  Asatryan, a cleric defrocked by the Catholicos of All Armenians, who  called his defrocking illegal. Asatryan's statements served as the  basis for the detention of several clergymen of the Aragatsotn  Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.