3 minute read
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has presented a proposed reform plan for the Armenian Apostolic Church.
"Releasing the Catholicosate (Veharan) from Ktrich Nersisyan is, first and foremost, a spiritual agenda, an agenda for renewing our Church, and through the Church, our state and society. It is an agenda for renewing ourselves and establishing a moral standard of life in our state," said the Prime Minister.
“In this regard, our goal is not to replace Ktrich Nersisyan with another priest who has broken his vow of celibacy.”
Pashinyan proposed the following plan: the Catholicosate would be freed from Ktrich Nersisyan, and any priest of good conduct would be appointed as the Catholicosate Vicar, who, importantly, can not claim to assume the throne of the Catholicos.
New elections for the Catholicos of All Armenians would not be held until the Canon of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is approved based on the "Code of Canon Law of the Armenians", a universal, concise, and understandable document.
Following the approval of Canon Law, elections for the Catholicos of All Armenians would be conducted, during which the moral integrity and conduct of all candidates would be verified.
Speaking about the Movement, Pashinyan said it represents followers of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. However, he noted it is impossible to verify the religious affiliation of individuals speaking publicly or on social media, and emphasized that while participation cannot be restricted, those leading the Movement must meet the following criteria:
- Be followers of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church (baptized in the Church);
- Believe in our living Lord, Jesus Christ;
- Have read the Bible in its entirety at least once;
- Have observed Great Lent at least once in the past five years;
- Pray daily;
“It is also clear that by announcing I will lead the movement to release the Catholicosate, I must first meet all these criteria myself. And since I have announced my leadership of the movement, then I do meet those standards,” Pashinyan said.