🇦🇲 Tensions Escalate Between Armenian Church and Government
Armenia is facing a new wave of internal crisis as law enforcement officers attempted to detain Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The move follows a criminal case launched against the Archbishop over public remarks in which he allegedly called for a military coup in Armenia. While Ajapahyan initially agreed to cooperate and leave with authorities alongside his lawyer, a scuffle broke out, prompting him to return to the Cathedral and join a private gathering of high-ranking clergy.
Earlier, Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, stated that the Church would respond collectively to this growing pressure on its leadership. Tensions have been rising since the recent arrest of another high-ranking cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who led the “Sacred Struggle” protest movement and is now charged with organizing a terrorist plot to seize power.
This latest development marks a deepening standoff between church and state in Armenia, raising serious concerns over religious freedom, political dissent, and rule of law.
What do you think about this major development in Armenia, what is happening?
TAMRAZIAN NEWS
🇦🇲 Tensions Escalate Between Armenian Church and Government
Armenia is facing a new wave of internal crisis as law enforcement officers attempted to detain Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The move follows a criminal case launched against the Archbishop over public remarks in which he allegedly called for a military coup in Armenia. While Ajapahyan initially agreed to cooperate and leave with authorities alongside his lawyer, a scuffle broke out, prompting him to return to the Cathedral and join a private gathering of high-ranking clergy.
Earlier, Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, stated that the Church would respond collectively to this growing pressure on its leadership. Tensions have been rising since the recent arrest of another high-ranking cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who led the “Sacred Struggle” protest movement and is now charged with organizing a terrorist plot to seize power.
This latest development marks a deepening standoff between church and state in Armenia, raising serious concerns over religious freedom, political dissent, and rule of law.
What do you think about this major development in Armenia, what is happening?
4 months ago | [YT] | 0