Pashinyan reports growing clerical support for "Improvement" agenda   amid church tension

ArmInfo. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced via social media that 16 priests have  publicly backed his  "improvement" agenda of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). 

"My words of fraternal support, encouragement, and assurances of my  respect to all the priests who have joined the "improvement" and  those preparing to join it. Holy Fathers, with your blessing and  active participation, the Armenian Apostolic Church will  be renewed.  I also call on all our communities and regions, our beloved people,  to support, encourage, promote, and protect all priests who have  joined the renovation project and are preparing to do so," he wrote.   Yesterday evening, it was announced that Priest Mashtots Stepanyan,  rector at St. Gevork Church in Aygeshat, had joined Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan's initiative to abdicate His Holiness Karekin II, the  Catholicos of All Armenians, which he announced on social media.  Following his lead, 12 more priests released statements on social  media in support of the "renewal agenda," which were actively shared  by pro- government media  and members of the ruling Civil Contract  party.

Commenting on the situation, Father Asoghik Karapetyan, Director of  the Museums and Archives at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,  stated that "several unworthy priests have emerged who follow the  atheist, rebellious, and rule-breaking heads of their dioceses."  Karapetyan stated that these actions by the priests would face a  "just and correct" decision by the Mother See of Etchmiadzin. He also  emphasized that the Armenian Church is strong and will overcome this  test with fortitude and wisdom.

Recall, on the evening of January 4, Nikol Pashinyan signed the  so-called "roadmap for the improvement" of the Armenian Apostolic  Church with 10 rebellious bishops. On December 8, he announced the  so-called "roadmap for the renewal of the Armenian Apostolic Church  after the resignation of Ktrich Nersisyan (Catholicos of All  Armenians Karekin II)." The schismatic bishops, demanding the  resignation of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, came to the  prime minister's residence and signed the document one by one. Two of  the ten bishops who were not present in person gave their consent  remotely.

The document contains the following points:  1. Public announcement  of the reform program; 2. Removal of the current church leader; 3.  Election of a locum tenens of the patriarchal throne; 4. Adoption of  the Church Charter, which should establish "mechanisms for  maintaining established principles, ensuring financial transparency,  and proper conduct of the clergy"; 5. Election of the Catholicos of  All Armenians, "in accordance with the established procedure".  It  should be noted that, according to the Constitution of Armenia, the  Armenian Apostolic Church is separate from the state and has a  special mission.