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The Prosecutor-General’s Office said it would investigate an audio recording involving two clergymen, in which one allegedly accuses Catholicos Karekin II of ordering him to attend anti-government rallies.
The recording, which reportedly dates back to 2023, purportedly captures a conversation between Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan and Priest Aghan Yernjakyan.
The recording surfaced online on Friday.
In the recording, the priest, who was then Karekin II’s mace-bearer, is heard complaining to the archbishop that Karekin II had ordered him and his family to attend anti-government rallies. When he refused, he was reportedly sent to continue his service in a chapel located about 200 kilometers from his hometown. The priest later left church service.
The Armenian Church responded to the recording, calling it part of a smear campaign.
“These days, the entire law enforcement and judicial system is engaged in the implementation of illegal anti-church directives. The purpose of circulating such statements attributed to the Catholicos of All Armenians is to discredit the Church and sow discord among its clergy. The violation of telephone conversation confidentiality is, in itself, a crime and a separate issue, to which we hope the law enforcement agencies will respond appropriately,” the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin said in a statement.