Refugees expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the head of the Karabakh diocese

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Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, head of the Artsakh (Karabakh) Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, attended a meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan, where a group of clergy demanded the re-election of the Catholicos. Karabakh refugees criticized Abrahamyan and called on him to resign.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sharply criticized the church at a government meeting on May 29, and responded to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan's objections with insults on Facebook*. Armenian politicians and church representatives demanded that Pashinyan apologize for insulting the church.

On November 27, a statement signed by nine archbishops and bishops appeared online, condemning Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II "for attempting to cover up the sacrilegious act of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan."

The statement stated that "the behavior of Catholicos Garegin II is incompatible with canon law and the teachings of the Armenian Church, which is fraught with the danger of a schism within the Church." Its signatories called on "devoted children of the Church to join in the vital work of cleansing Holy Etchmiadzin of the sacrilegious clergy and those who share its sin, resolutely condemning the erroneous course of the Catholicos."

On November 28, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with some of the signatories of the statement - Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, Archbishop Arakel Karamyan, Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Bishop Anushavan Zhamkochyan, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, Bishop Artak Tigranyan, and Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, the Prime Minister's press service reported.

On November 29, the same participants in the meeting demanded new elections for the Catholicos of All Armenians.

On social media, Karabakh public figures condemned the actions of Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, head of the Artsakh (Karabakh) Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Bishop Abrahamyan himself wrote on the Artsakh Diocese page that he is aware that the meeting with Pashinyan has received mixed reviews from his compatriots, especially Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. "Therefore, I inform you that I participated as a member of the episcopal commission; it has not and cannot have any relation to the Karabakh issue or the issues that concern our compatriots," he wrote.

Considering the public reaction, we will demand not only an apology, but also that Abrahamyan resign as head of the Artsakh Diocese.

"Considering the public reaction, we will demand not only an apology, but also that Abrahamyan resign as head of the Artsakh Diocese. <...> "After such an act, he simply no longer has the moral right to lead the people, whose pain he ignored with his actions," lawyer Roman Yeritsyan wrote on his social media page. As of 3:00 a.m. Moscow time today, December 3, more than a thousand users had responded to his post, and more than 200 had shared it. On December 1, a delegation of Karabakh residents—nearly two dozen people—gathered in front of the residence of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Yerevan to meet with the bishop. Abramyan did not show up for the meeting and did not answer calls from activists. Roman Yeritsyan told journalists present at the event that "the meeting with the person responsible for the surrender of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the handshake, and the bow outraged us all." "It is necessary to demand a public apology from the bishop for showing respect to the government that recognized Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as part of Azerbaijan, to a man who desecrated Armenian shrines and ignored the pain of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)," the lawyer stated.

Chairman of the Diocesan Council of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Lernik Hovhannisyan stated on December 2 that "the people's discontent and indignation in connection with the position and behavior of Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan is justified."

We cannot share and condemn these approaches, since they do not reflect the position and expectations of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Hovhannisyan stated that "members of the diocesan council met with the head of the diocese and "They called on him to make a clear statement and ask for forgiveness from the forcibly exiled people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), but the head of the diocese effectively refused to ask for forgiveness, thereby fueling public outrage." "We met with the head of the Artsakh Diocese and listened to his views and comments. It is necessary to clearly state that we cannot share and condemn these approaches, as they do not reflect the position and expectations of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The Diocesan Council reaffirms its conviction that all church matters must be resolved exclusively within the church in accordance with regulations, tradition, and the principles of the national value system," the council chairman noted.

Karabakh refugees voiced their position regarding Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan's presence at the meeting with Nikol Pashinyan and his future actions to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "The head of the Artsakh Diocese, Vrdenes Abrahamyan, has never distinguished himself as a spiritual leader; many don't even know who he is or what his accomplishments are," noted Arayik Apresyan from Stepanakert. He believes the public's outrage is understandable, because "most refugee families are currently living in difficult social conditions."

Anna Soghomonyan from Nagorno-Karabakh believes that "Abrahamyan has no right to be the head of the Artsakh Diocese." "He is already cherishing a cozy position from the authorities of the Republic of Armenia under our name," she stated.

Soghomonyan believes that "it is necessary to organize a signature collection to appeal to the Mother See with a demand to remove Abrahamyan from the post of head of the diocese."

"Bishop Abrahamyan, with his actions, is drawing believing refugees into the political manipulations of the authorities," believes Armen Mkrtchyan from Stepanakert. "Abrahamyan does not understand that he represents the spiritual part of the nation. If he is unable to abandon his narrow personal interests, then we must achieve his resignation," he added.

The court sentenced the primate of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Mikael Ajapayan, to two years in prison. The defense intends to appeal the verdict, and the case against Bagrat Galstanyan continues to be heard in court. The head of the Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, and priest Garegin Arsenyan have been arrested on charges of coercion to participate in public gatherings.

For more information on the case of Ajapayan and other political opponents of the current government, see the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Main Thing About Political Arrests in Armenia in the Summer of 2025".