Armenian PM, senior clerics agree to remove Apostolic Church head

YEREVAN, Armenia (MNTV) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and 10 senior clerics say they have agreed on a roadmap to reform the Armenian Apostolic Church, including the removal of its current leader and the election of a new catholicos.

In a video released Sunday, Pashinyan said the roadmap was finalized after hours of talks at his residence. Eight of the 10 bishops who signed the declaration were present at the meeting, according to the statement.

The joint declaration accuses Catholicos Karekin II and his close circle of failing to uphold Gospel principles, tolerating moral abuses and drawing the church into political and external agendas. It describes such practices as unacceptable, saying they have contributed to internal divisions and a weakening of spiritual life.

Under the proposed plan, the signatories said they would publicly launch a reform agenda, remove Karekin II, appoint an interim caretaker, known as a locum tenens, and adopt a new church charter. The charter would set rules on governance, financial transparency and clerical conduct, followed by the election of a new Catholicos of All Armenians.

The group also announced the creation of a coordinating council to oversee the reform process, with the option to expand its membership by unanimous decision.

Pashinyan called on clergy and believers to support the initiative and said upcoming services at St. Sarkis Church and a Christmas liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan on Jan. 5 would be key moments in advancing the process.

The declaration bears the signatures of Pashinyan and 10 archbishops and bishops.