Amid a growing rift, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia has made headlines with an outrageous response to allegations from the Armenian Apostolic Church, where he is accused of failing to represent Christian ideals. In a provocative move, Pashinyan has proposed to expose himself in front of church officials to counter claims about his circumcision, igniting a social media storm.
This unusual declaration follows a provocative post from a local priest who compared Pashinyan to Judas, hinting at his lack of true Christian faith. Social media has remained Pashinyan's main platform for communication since his rise to power during the 2018 Velvet Revolution, and with pivotal elections looming, the Church's growing role as an opposition force has heightened tensions.
The conflict first brewed in late May when Pashinyan publicly accused Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Church, of breaching his celibacy vows by allegedly having a child, further calling for Karekin's resignation. The Church responded with a statement, criticizing Pashinyan for destabilizing Armenia's spiritual unity, while avoiding the personal allegations.
As public scrutiny increased, government-backed media outlets circulated rumors regarding Karekin's alleged daughter. Pashinyan's administration went so far as to set up a coordination group aimed at facilitating the selection of a new Church leader, despite the constitutional limits on church-state relations.
As the crisis deepened, security forces detained 16 individuals, including a senior cleric from the opposition group "Sacred Struggle," amid claims they were plotting acts of terrorism to destabilize the government. Accusations of a coup plot emerged, seemingly implicating the Church and several high-profile political figures.
The situation escalated further with the arrest of Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, a prominent Church supporter who had publicly decried Pashinyan's stance. His arrest raised alarms in Moscow, with officials stating they were closely watching the developments, as billboards bearing his image surfaced in the Russian capital.
Pashinyan's administration is now maneuvering to nationalize Karapetyan's electric distribution business, highlighting the volatile intersection of religion, business, and politics in Armenia. The stand-off continues to raise concerns of potential unrest in the nation as allegations of persecution, political maneuvering, and fear of escalating conflict threaten stability in the region.
