Pashinyan set to lead campaign against priests who break vows
Armenia’s Prime Minister plans to launch a church reform campaign modeled on the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.”
On July 16, 2025, the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia published a report on a press conference held by Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan. During the meeting with journalists, the Prime Minister announced his intention to personally lead a movement to “cleanse” the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) of clergy who violate their vow of celibacy.
“I could curse them, but I won’t. I simply said I will lead the movement to free the Church from them. There’s no need for curses,” said Pashinyan.
He explained that this would be a deliberate and peaceful campaign, using methods similar to those of the 2018 Velvet Revolution, which brought him to power.
Pashinyan also emphasized that his conflict with the Armenian Apostolic Church had revealed an “absence of connection and relationship with Jesus Christ” among parts of the Church’s senior leadership. He accused some hierarchs of violating ecclesiastical vows and engaging in abuses, promising to push for systemic change within the Church.
The statement came shortly after protests erupted across the country, involving supporters of the AAC. One of the organizers was businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who was later arrested on charges of inciting a coup.
The conflict between Armenia’s secular government and the Armenian Church remains one of the most contentious issues in the country’s political landscape.
As previously reported by the UOJ, the United Nations has called for a legal resolution to the escalating dispute surrounding the Armenian Apostolic Church.
