Blackmail or message to Catholicos? Analysing Pashinyan’s social media posts
Pashinyan’s posts criticizing church
Tensions between the Armenian authorities and the church have flared up once again. For several days, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s social media posts have been the subject of heated discussion. He openly criticised the Church and its clergy — even resorting to profanities.
The initial reaction to his first Facebook post was disbelief, with many assuming his account had been hacked due to the unexpected tone. However, more posts of the same nature followed, confirming that Pashinyan himself was behind them.
Social media users were quick to react. Some supported the prime minister’s opinion, but the majority condemned his use of language, calling it inappropriate for a head of state. A number of commenters pointed to his wife Anna Hakobyan’s educational campaign “Getting an education is trendy”, sarcastically noting: “So this is trendy education in action.”
Yet the backlash did not stop Pashinyan. In one of his final posts, he wrote that the Republic of Armenia should have a decisive say in the election of the Catholicos of All Armenians — and that candidates for the post should undergo background checks.
“This is not blackmail aimed at some unknown or unworthy clergyman. This is a message to the top leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church — to the Catholicos,” said political commentator Hakob Badalyan.
He added that Pashinyan might even turn this demand for a decisive vote in the Catholicos election into a campaign “promise” — or portray it as a “political achievement.”
Tensions between the authorities and the Church have been simmering since the Second Karabakh War in 2020, when Catholicos Garegin II joined calls for Pashinyan’s resignation.
Pashinyan’s recent post series followed a government session in which he accused churches of being “cluttered” and likened them to “storage rooms” filled with useless items. This comparison deeply offended clergy members. A spokesperson for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin said the country’s leader had clearly failed to reflect the values of the “trendy education” he once endorsed. The head of the Gugark Diocese called the prime minister the country’s “chief lunatic”, while the Primate of the Syunik Diocese warned that such remarks devalue sacred concepts in the public’s eyes.
- Opinion: “Behind movement against border demarcation – Russia and 5th column in Armenia”
- Pashinyan: ‘External forces want to provoke war in Armenia for the sake of a change of government’
- “It was an attempted coup” – Political analyst on the actions of the protest movement in Armenia
“Decisive vote in Catholicos election” — Pashinyan’s key statement
“The Right Reverend, just keep f***ing your uncle’s wife. What business do you have with me?” — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page on the morning of 30 June.
It remains unclear which clergyman the prime minister was addressing.
This was followed by several more posts criticising the clergy. First, Pashinyan questioned how many senior church officials remain true to their vow of celibacy.
“What happens when it’s revealed that a clergyman has broken his vow of celibacy — a promise of chastity and abstinence? He loses his rank, title, and position. What’s morally more honest: to resign voluntarily or to suffer in silence, fearing an investigation might expose the truth?” he wrote.
In his view, all clergymen who have broken their vow should step down, because “the people have a right to a Church rooted in spiritual and moral values.”
Pashinyan then turned to the issue of electing the Armenian patriarch:
“The Republic of Armenia must have the decisive vote in the election of the Catholicos of All Armenians. Candidates must undergo a background check. This issue must be resolved once and for all.”
“They’ve gone mad over the word ‘storage room’” — prime minister’s wife weighs in
Alongside Nikol Pashinyan’s Facebook posts, inflammatory messages also began appearing on the page of his wife, Anna Hakobyan. She referred to the Catholicos as “the country’s chief mafioso.”
“The country’s top paedophiles have gone mad over the word ‘storage room’. Well of course — because storage rooms are the dark corners of the lives of madmen in black robes. That’s exactly where the perversions happen,” she wrote.
Hakobyan also reposted criticism directed at the prime minister and publicly shamed those behind it. She singled out a statement by the Women’s Resource Center, joined by over a dozen NGOs, which condemned the prime minister’s use of misogynistic, sexually explicit language:
“Degrading and misogynistic sexualised language directed at a woman is unacceptable under any political context or pretext — especially from the country’s top official.”
Human rights groups urged the prime minister to delete the post and publicly apologise for the discriminatory remark and the disclosure of information concerning a cleric’s alleged partner.
“Oh, some people have finally opened their eyes. Good for them, truly. Good for them — even if the woman they’re defending with this statement remains unnamed,” Hakobyan responded.
At the same time, she accused the same organizations of ignoring the years-long sexist smear campaigns by Pashinyan’s political opponents against her. She claimed they must have noticed but stayed silent because they themselves are “political opponents.”
Hakobyan also announced the creation of a new “Commission for Promoting Effective Communication and Politeness” under her “Getting an Education is Trendy” movement, and called on artists and cultural figures to join the initiative.
“Pashinyan seems to have decided to become an autocrat” — Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan
The head of the Tavush Diocese, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, said he does not believe it is a coincidence that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan launched his attack while the Catholicos of All Armenians was abroad, attending an international conference in Switzerland on Nagorno-Karabakh.
The event, titled “Religious Freedom: Preserving the Armenian Spiritual, Cultural and Historical Heritage in Artsakh,” was organized by the World Council of Churches at the initiative of the Catholicos.
Galstanyan said the reason behind the prime minister’s outbursts is clear: “The Church is the last bastion protecting Armenian identity and values.”
“Targeting the Church means the authorities have run out of ways to appease their base — and are now trying to score points like this,” he said.
In the archbishop’s view, the revolutionary team that came to power through street protests “is still on the street,” failing to grasp the responsibility of their position or how to conduct themselves.
In 2024, Galstanyan himself took to the streets, leading the opposition movement “Tavush for the Homeland.” The group initially opposed the border demarcation process with Azerbaijan but soon shifted to demanding Pashinyan’s resignation. Eventually, the movement nominated Galstanyan as its candidate for prime minister. However, as border demarcation proceeded in the Tavush–Gazakh area, the movement lost momentum.
Commenting on the prime minister’s wife’s Facebook posts, Galstanyan said:
“I call on my spiritual brothers and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to initiate legal proceedings against these individuals. They have made accusations of paedophilia.”
According to the archbishop, Pashinyan appears to have decided to become an autocrat — “the head of both church and state.”
Social media outcry
On state involvement in Catholicos‘ election
“Of course, it’s time for him to go. We need a new Catholicos — someone the people will respect, a true spiritual leader.”
“Armenia is a secular state, not a theocracy. The government should stay out of religious affairs, just as the Church should stay out of politics.”
“Only a fool or a non-believer would think the state should decide who becomes the Catholicos of All Armenians. That’s not just a dangerous delusion — it’s a deep disrespect to our Church, history, and spiritual identity. The Church is not a political institution.”
On obscene Facebook post:
“Disgraceful. A national leader cannot behave this way. Mr Prime Minister, teenagers follow you. Every careless word you say damages the country’s image.”
“Show at least a shred of respect for the people who elected you. Do your job. Stop embarrassing us in front of the world.”
“Mr Pashinyan, why haven’t we ever heard such language from you directed at the Azerbaijanis and Aliyev — the ones who destroyed a whole generation of our youth, who took away a piece of our paradise, and who mocked and humiliated you and your people on every platform?”
“Sadly, this might just be another distraction — a smokescreen for something bigger heading our way. We’ve become a testing ground. Different political technologies are being applied to us.”
Expert opinion
Political commentator Hakob Badalyan believes Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is effectively announcing an investigation into the private lives of clergy members — and warns that “unpleasant details” may surface.
“This may be a warning to the clergy about the kompromat already collected on them. In an election year, the authorities are escalating their confrontation with the Church’s leadership to a new level — one based on kompromat,” Badalyan wrote on his Telegram channel.
He predicts that as the 2026 elections approach, Armenia could witness “large-scale spectacles” or more brutal forms of internal political conflict than ever before.
Political analyst Suren Surenyants cites Articles 17 and 18 of Armenia’s Constitution, which enshrine the separation of church and state and define the Church’s status.
“Pashinyan’s statements about having a decisive vote in the election of the Catholicos and vetting candidates have no constitutional or legal basis. They are extremely dangerous — politically and legally,” he claimed.
At the same time, he urged the Armenian Apostolic Church to reflect on internal reforms and how to better fulfill its social and civilizational mission:
“Rather than mechanically criticizing the authorities and fuelling Pashinyan’s agenda or the interests of his possible foreign backers, the Church should offer unifying content that leaves Pashinyan outside the national conversation.”
Azerbaijan expert Tatevik Hayrapetyan said the public is witnessing a “hooligan-style campaign” against the Church — one that eerily echoes rhetoric coming from Baku, often marked by hatred toward the Armenian Church and Christianity in general.
She noted that the Armenian Apostolic Church has created serious problems for Azerbaijan in the international arena, particularly by spotlighting the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and calling for the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.
“Azerbaijan is spending heavily to prove it has nothing against Christianity — but it’s not working. That’s where the local collaborator steps in. His role is to inflame internal hatred in Armenian society while simultaneously discrediting the Church on the international stage,” she said.
Former ombudsman Arman Tatoyan suggested that Pashinyan’s emotional outbursts and coarse language stem from his declining popularity, as reflected in recent polling data.
He cited the Caucasus Barometer, which shows that 71% of Armenians trust the Apostolic Church, while only 17% support Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party.
Tatoyan argued that the prime minister is unable to accept the collapse of public trust and the failure of his governance. In his view, the ruling party’s actions now serve Azerbaijan’s interests.
“Abusing his office, the head of Civil Contract is speaking of unconstitutional government interference in the Catholicos election and is plotting an unlawful takeover of the Armenian Church,” Tatoyan said.
He called on the public to reject the “theatrical performance” and resist propaganda rooted in hatred.
