Removing Catholicos Garegin II from office to resolve crisis: Armenia debates special report
Report on crisis in Armenian Church
“Violation of vows of celibacy and proper conduct, politicisation of the Holy Altar, spread of foreign [Russian] influence and persecution of clergy.” These are among the arguments cited by the Public Relations and Information Centre as evidence of a crisis in the Armenian Apostolic Church. The centre prepared and published the report at the request of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The 74-page document sets out not only information identified from open sources that its authors say demonstrates a crisis, but also proposals for resolving it.
Among the steps proposed to resolve the crisis is the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. The report refers to him not as the Catholicos, but as the “de facto head of the Church”.
The authors stress that reform should be carried out by the Church itself, with the participation of clergy and believers, while the state should act within its legal powers “without interfering in the Church’s internal canonical autonomy”.
Meanwhile, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has described the report as “unconstitutional, anti-canonical and unlawful in both content and form”.
In a statement issued in response, the senior clergy called on the authorities to “end the persecution of the Church and respect its centuries-old sovereignty and self-governance”.
Human rights advocates have also raised concerns about the document. Anna Melikyan, a lawyer and expert on international humanitarian law and human rights, argues that the government has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of a religious organisation unless “a crime or administrative offence” has been committed.
Religious freedom expert Izabella Sargsyan focuses on information contained in the document that she says “violates human rights and the right to privacy”. She said the report reminded her of “a tabloid publication”.
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Pashinyan: ‘Situation in Church far more critical than I thought’
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the report shortly after its publication. In a video address posted on his Facebook page, Pashinyan said he had reviewed the document and concluded that the actual situation in the Church was far more complex and critical than he had initially believed:
“If I were to sum up the report in one sentence, it proves that the Church has been captured by Ktrich Nersisyan [Garegin II’s secular name] and a group of clergy and laypeople who support him.”
In a recent interview, Pashinyan did not rule out establishing an investigative commission in the National Assembly that would propose legislative changes based on the problems identified in the report.
Report cites allegations of ‘paedophilia and homosexual tendencies’
The report lists 16 points that its authors say demonstrate a crisis within the Church. One concerns alleged violations of vows of celibacy and proper conduct by senior clergy. The document also says such cases have not received appropriate attention or investigation from the Church’s senior leadership.
The authors include cases of child sexual abuse among violations of “proper conduct”. According to the report, allegations have also been made against the Catholicos’s brother:
“The most serious allegations concerning the sexual abuse of children relate to the brother of the de facto head of the Armenian Apostolic Church [Garegin II] – Archbishop Yezras Nersisyan, Primate of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese.”
The document also says there are claims concerning his “homosexual tendencies”. It cites various articles, open letters – mostly by defrocked clergy – and media reports as supporting material.
The report includes personal information about both those whose accounts it cites and those accused of “paedophilia” or described as having “homosexual tendencies”.
“Moral decline has become entrenched within the Church’s internal structures. Some clergy suspected or accused of sexual offences, particularly paedophilia, not only go unpunished but also enjoy the protection of the senior leadership,”the document says.
Among the alleged problems within the Church highlighted by the report are:
- the Catholicos’s alleged violation of his vow of celibacy;
- alleged persecution and defrocking of clergy by the Catholicos;
- overt political activity by the Catholicos and several senior clergy;
- the use of Church premises and the Holy Altar for political campaigning;
- the alleged use of the Church by the Catholicos and members of his family to promote foreign influence;
- a lack of financial transparency and alleged misuse of Church property;
- the ordination of relatives and alleged clan-based governance;
- the failure to convene a National Ecclesiastical Assembly for 27 consecutive years and the absence of a unified charter;
- divisions within dioceses in the diaspora.
What action plan is proposed?
The report proposes a five-step roadmap for overcoming the crisis:
- reviewing and promoting the reform programme;
- removing the de facto head of the Church (the Catholicos);
- electing a locum tenens;
- adopting a unified Church charter;
- convening a National Ecclesiastical Assembly in accordance with procedures set out in the new charter and electing the Catholicos of All Armenians.
Mother See calls report ‘an act of political retribution’
“The ‘report’, compiled using public funds and based on accusations and defamatory claims circulated on social media and in the media, is an act of political retribution, vindictiveness and unacceptable interference in the internal life of the Church,” the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin said.
The clergy called on the Armenian authorities to build Church-state relations on the basis of mutual respect, a clear separation of powers and the primacy of national interests. They also called for:
- “an end to the persecution of clergy and the popularly elected Catholicos of All Armenians through fabricated accusations and defamation;
- action strictly within the framework of the Constitution, national legislation and international law, in line with proclaimed democratic principles, guaranteeing freedom of conscience, religion and belief in the country and strengthening social solidarity rather than division;
- existing problems and disagreements to be resolved through dialogue, without preconditions and without resorting to futile ultimatum-style rhetoric.”
According to the Mother See’s statement, the authorities are attempting to artificially create a crisis within the Church:
“Any initiatives to reform the Church that are driven by political arbitrariness, manipulation or coercion are unacceptable. Efforts to address the challenges facing the Armenian Church and improve its functioning are carried out exclusively on the basis of decisions by the Church’s highest canonical governing bodies.”
Expert commentary
According to religious freedom expert Izabella Sargsyan, the government has no right to interfere in the Church’s internal affairs or prepare reports of this kind.
She argues that the report is unacceptable from the standpoint of legality, ethics and human dignity:
“This is not simply about freedom of religion or belief, or about an abuse of power by the government. It concerns personal data and the publication of names, including that of a minor who was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse.”
International humanitarian law and human rights expert Anna Melikyan stressed that Armenia’s Constitution clearly defines the relationship between the government and religious organisations, including their freedom of activity, separation from the state and autonomy:
“Freedom and autonomy mean that the government has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of a religious organisation, including its choice of governance system or efforts to bring it into line with canonical and ethical norms.”
She insists that neither the executive nor the legislature can decide who should lead a religious organisation or what internal rules it should adopt unless a criminal or administrative offence has been identified:
“If there are facts that provide reasonable grounds to suspect clear criminal or administrative offences, there are other mechanisms for responding to them – through criminal or administrative proceedings.”
The human rights expert says the confrontation between the government and the Church should be viewed in terms of the legality of the government’s actions in order to prevent possible unlawful interference.
She says an effective system of checks and balances should operate in a democratic state to prevent governments from being tempted to overstep their powers:
“All states and governments face this temptation, and if they encounter no resistance, they will seize as much power as they can.”
