Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople expresses his position on  processes surrounding Armenian Church

ArmInfo.The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, presented his position on the Episcopal Council held in Austria and the latest developments surrounding the Armenian Apostolic Church.

A statement released by the Catholicosate of Constantinople noted  that during the Episcopal Assembly, Sahak II delivered the following  message, in which he drew the attention of the conference prelates  and His Holiness the Patriarch to two of his proposals. The Patriarch  expressed several comments on the situation and his views on how to  overcome this crisis.

In particular, he proposed creating a Synod to strengthen the  position of the Mother See and His Holiness the Patriarch, as well as  setting a date for the convening of a National Church Assembly. Sahak  II stated that this meeting, held outside the Holy See, in itself  points to a problem that has troubled and disturbed the Armenian  world for almost a year, beginning with the standoff between the  Armenian authorities and the Mother See of Etchmiadzin. He added that  this meeting, which was intended as a gathering of bishops,  unfortunately, due to the absence of the bishops of Armenia and  Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, naturally turned into a  consultative conference. However, this does not prevent this meeting  from expressing an authoritative opinion on the current situation.

"We, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, have viewed this undesirable  situation from day one as a response to internal political tensions  in Armenia and the approaching political elections. Along with almost  all churches in the Diaspora, we also appealed to His Holiness the  Patriarch with a call for ecclesiastical unity and solidarity against  this political campaign against the Catholicos, which is much more  clearly visible in the Diaspora.

In such critical and turbulent situations, we considered it crucial  to ensure ecclesiastical discipline within the Patriarchate, avoiding  panic and preserving the integrity of the Church. In particular, we  defended the position and immunity of His Holiness Karekin II,  Catholicos of All Armenians, until the internal political situation  in Armenia is determined by the political elections. And as the only  undisputed pan-ecclesiastical structure capable of reviewing the  status of the Catholicos, we pointed to the National Ecclesiastical  Assembly," the Patriarchate of Constantinople said in a statement.

He added that the problem is serious and gradually worsening, as  opposition priests and bishops emerge, some of whom, despite  disciplinary action, continue to perform their duties with state  support. "We have bishops arrested under the pretext of pursuing  hostile policies. Against this backdrop, we, Armenians of the  Diaspora, have largely found ourselves in the position of observers  and are at a loss. The two sacred pillars of the Armenian nation, the  Church and the State, bound by the covenant to walk together along  the paths of Armenian history to give the nation the best, are today  demonstrating actions that exhaust and weaken each other. Provocative  actions and expressions on both sides widen the trenches and leave  relations in a state where they could deteriorate further. What the  Mother See needs most now is heavenly wisdom." Sahak II then  presented a modest opinion, a compromise solution to the current  situation. According to him, during this turbulent period, the  Supreme Spiritual Council has unfortunately lost its authority and,  through hasty and impulsive decisions, is gradually deepening the  conflict and leading to a deadlock.

According to him, this included the decision to defrock Bishop  Gevorg. Sahak II added that it would be right to wait for this  meeting of bishops and resolve the situation with Gevorg and other  opposition priests.  "His Holiness needs an authoritative assembly  that will inspire him with authority and prudence during this period,  and this is a synod, which will also include some opposition  brothers. This synodal decree could pave the way for identifying and  resolving problems jointly with the government. His Holiness always  had the idea of creating such a structure; I know this personally,  but this idea was never realized. This is an opportunity for this  Episcopal Meeting to elect twelve senior bishops who will support His  Holiness in his work governing the Throne during this period," the  Patriarch of Constantinople added. According to him, if the Holy See  fails to carry out this administrative reform, the authority of the  Catholicos of All Armenians will be irreparably weakened by the  current composition of the Supreme Spiritual Council. "For  reconciliation with the authorities and a transitional period until  the convening of the National Church Council, the Synod could serve  as a transitional solution."

And my second suggestion is that it would be useful for this assembly  of bishops to set a date and create an organizing committee for the  National Church Council, which is now needed. This could calm some  passions," Sahak II concluded.

As a reminder, a bishops' council was held in Austria from February  16-19. It was not held in full attendance, as the Armenian  authorities had opened a criminal case against the Catholicos of All  Armenians and six high-ranking bishops, preventing them from  participating in this visiting assembly. Following the council's  conclusion, full support was expressed for the Catholicos of All  Armenians and a call was made to the Armenian authorities to cease  the ongoing anti-church campaign. As a reminder, Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan launched a broad anti-church campaign in May  2025, demanding the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians.  As part of this campaign, several clergy members were arrested. 

Moreover, a group of bishops joined Pashinyan in demanding the  resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians. In this regard, on  December 1, the Catholicos of All Armenians announced the convening  of a bishops' council for December 10-12 to Discussions of recent  events related to the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and issues  related to internal church life were planned. However, on December 8,  the Mother See of Etchmiadzin announced its indefinite postponement,  given the government's crackdown on the clergy, including arrests.  Karekin II then decided to convene a bishops' assembly from February  16 to 19 in the Austrian city of St. Polten.

Notably, a couple of days before the Council, the Prosecutor  General's Office of Armenia opened a criminal case against Catholicos  of All Armenians Karekin II and banned him from leaving the country.  The grounds for this were lawsuits filed by defrocked clergymen  Aramayis Tahmazyan and Stepan Asatryan against the Armenian Apostolic  Church (AAC). The day before the criminal case against the Catholicos  of All Armenians was opened, the Armenian prime minister told  reporters that he would not allow the Catholicosate to leave Armenia.