Eternal curse — Faultline

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Alexius II, the then Patriarch of Moscow and Russia, and Karekin II, the Catholicos of Armenia, in March 2000.

Does a lecherous, corrupt, Russian-controlled church leader threaten Armenia's national security? Or does an increasingly authoritarian prime minister now also want to seize power in the venerable Armenian Apostolic Church, to which more than 90 percent of the population belongs? Or is it possible that both are true?

Marija Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned in mid-September that an "eternal curse" would come to all those who persecuted the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Since last year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been taking political and criminal action against the church leadership and has called for the removal of its head, Catholicos Karekin II. The allegations are diverse, from breaking the oath of celibacy by fathering a daughter to using the church's tax exemption for crooked business and abuse of office to connections to Russian secret services. The parliamentary opposition accuses Pashinyan of undue interference in church affairs. Marianna Ghahramanjan from the Strong Armenia party, which is considered pro-Russian, said at the end of September that they would not take part in the government's planned investigative commission, which was illegal, and would stand by the church leadership. The church is not beyond the law, countered Eduard Aghajanian from the ruling Civil Contract party.

Article 17 of the Armenian Constitution guarantees religious freedom, but Article 18 declares the Armenian Apostolic Church to be the "national church in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of its national culture and in the preservation of its national identity." Such a political mandate becomes fraught with conflict at the latest when something changes with regard to the national “culture” and “identity,” as is currently the case in Armenia. Since last year, Pashinyan has been promoting a doctrine he calls "real Armenia." Essentially, it means concentrating on the development of the actually existing national territory and reducing unenforceable claims on former Armenian territories. This is accompanied by a move away from traditional allies Russia and a turn towards the EU and USA. Bishops close to Karekin II had previously taken part in opposition activities, but now the church leadership increased preaching and praying for the cultural and religious heritage lost in Nagorno-Karabakh - an attack on Pashinyan's politics. Karekin II received the Russian "Order of Honor" in 2022 for services to promoting bilateral relations and people are worried about him: Marija Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned in mid-September that an "eternal curse" would come to all those who persecute the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pashinyan's political criticism of the church leadership is justified, but the legal basis for his actions is weak. The Catholicos does not have to be innocent to emerge victorious from this conflict.