Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that the Armenian Apostolic Church currently has no legitimate Catholicos, alleging that Karekin II unlawfully occupies the throne of the Catholicos of All Armenians.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Pashinyan repeated earlier claims that Karekin II violated his vow of celibacy by fathering a child while still a bishop — accusations that have not been confirmed by the Church and which the Patriarchate has previously denied.
“If Ktritch Nersisyan has a child,” the Prime Minister said, referring to Karekin II by his secular name, “and that child was born after he had taken a vow of celibacy, can he occupy the throne of the Catholicos of All Armenians? Why isn’t this question being raised in Armenia?”
Pashinyan also criticized reporters for what he described as their unwillingness to seek clarification or further inquiry into information about Ktritch Nersisyan and his brother, Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan — head of the Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of Russia and New Nakhijevan.
“Ktritch Nersisyan is no Catholicos. The Armenian Apostolic Church has no Catholicos; there is only a person who is illegally holding that status,” Pashinyan stated.
He further accused Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan — Karekin II’s younger brother — of being a Soviet-era KGB agent.
According to Pashinyan, “the published facts and documents make it obvious that Ezras Nersisyan was recruited by the KGB during Soviet times.”
Pashinyan has repeatedly called for the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II, renewing tensions between the government and the Church. The Armenian Apostolic Church leadership has responded by accusing the Prime Minister of conducting an “anti-church” campaign aimed at undermining the institution’s authority.
Despite the ongoing dispute, Pashinyan has described himself as a “devoted follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church” who is fighting against those who, he says, “have desecrated the Church’s sanctities.”
